My Immortal (Discontinued)
by marauderzoe
Summary: For Atal 23, the original version of My Immortal
1. Chapter 1

Finn caught me before I hit the ground. The world around us was shaking violently. But that wasn't all that was happening. I felt as if my body was being pulled apart. "You okay?" Finn looked at me in alarm. I could only nod. He still hadn't let go of me and I was grateful for the support. I was in pain, only it didn't make sense. I was dead, doesn't that mean that you get a free pass from pain? Suddenly Finn was gone, so was the shaking and the pain. I didn't know whether I should be relieved or even more alarmed. Looking around the room, I realised I was standing in a doorway. The same one as I had been moments earlier, only the world didn't seem to fall apart. Two male voices sounded from the room. Nik and Elijah were yelling at one another. I wanted to join the shouting and finally tell them how stupid they were being. Tell them to shut up because they were being idiots. But they wouldn't hear me. Suddenly the pain came back. I was still standing in the doorway, but the world around me wasn't as stable as it had been before. "Eva?" I heard Finn's voice and sighed in relief. At least he was here with me. "Finn, I don't know what's happening. One moment you're here and the next you're gone. Something's going on and it hurts. It hurts so much, Finn, I don't know if I can take it." I felt as if a thousand needles were being pricked into my skin, over and over again. I could still hear Elijah and Klaus, but their voices were only barely a whisper. The world around me was dissolving further. Finn pulled me close. "It's okay, Evanna, I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." He held me as the world kept shaking. Finn kept telling me that I was safe and that nothing was going to happen. But he was wrong. Because after another violent shake, Finn was gone. I was still standing in the same doorway. The pain was slowly fading. I could still hear Klaus and Elijah's shouting. Couldn't they just shut it? I needed to figure out what was going on here. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do much thinking, because their discussion was giving me a major headache. "Would you two just shut it already? Your bickering is giving me a fucking migraine. How many more times are you two idiots going to let a girl come between you? You're family and you care for one another and not even a girl is worth ruining that for. Especially not that fucking wereslut." I yelled in frustration. They couldn't hear me, but it felt good to let it out. They had been acting like two children ever since that Haley girl got mixed up in their lives. Suddenly I was met by two pairs of astonished eyes. "Evanna?" Both brothers uttered at the same time. My eyes widened in surprise. "You can hear me?" Before I knew what was going on, Nik had me enveloped in a fierce hug. I felt a tear form in my eye. "Nik, could you please stop crushing my bones?" He reluctantly let me go. I didn't get much reprieve, because Elijah wrapped me in a hug of his own. Luckily he was much more gentle. I looked at the both of them and I was so happy to have them see me. I smiled through my tears. "How did this happen?" Elijah asked, always the practical one. "I don't know. One moment Finn and I were trying to figure out what the hell was happening with the Other Side and next thing I know, I feel as if my body's about to get pulled apart and then somehow, here I am, without the pain and without Finn. I do still have a headache, though, but it's not as bad as it was some moments ago." "What is going on with the Other Side?" Nik asked as he guided me towards the couch and sat me down. I wanted to roll my eyes, but it was nice to know that this side of his still existed. "I don't know. Everything was going alright until all of a sudden, everything started to shake and it became rather blurry. It's been going on for a day or so. It's not constant or anything, but it's scary as hell. Tornadoes sweep from the sky and suck people in them. We don't know where they go and I hope we don't need to find out. Kol has got the message across to the anchor, but I doubt there is much we can do." I sighed. Nik put an arm around me. "It's going to be okay." I let out a hollow laugh. "That's exactly what Finn said before I wound up here." It was that moment it hit me. I felt a smile appear on my face and I looked at my two brothers. "Do you know what this means?" I was shifting in my seat. Elijah raised a brow in question. Nik just looked a bit confused. "I'm alive. At least for now. I know we need to figure out what is going on with the Other Side and get our family out of there, but there isn't much we can do. I mean, maybe the Other Side is just adjusting itself to the influx of new dead supernatural beings or something. And since neither of us can see the Other Side, we can't run any interference. For now, we'll celebrate. Who knows how long I'll be alive. Let's get a drink and catch up, shall we?" I got up and walked over to the mirror. My hazel eyes were staring back at me. I tilted my head a little, trying to find something different. But no, I was still the same girl I had been for the past thousand years. And my ginger curls were still as untameable as before. "I need a change of clothes." I was still in the same outfit as I had been when I'd died five years ago. A simple jeans and a T-shirt. "I'll need to go shopping later. But for now, this will have to do." I concentrated and I felt my magic. With a little tug on my magic I changed my clothes. I sighed happily at the result. I was wearing a black and white striped dress with a banded waist and goldenrod skirt. "Much better. It's been years since I've worn a dress. Do you have any idea what it's like to wear the same outfit for years?" I decided to put my long hair into a braid. And that's when I saw it. A little girl, barely three years old, with golden brown hair and hazel eyes that were filled with hate and judgement. There was blood all over her body and she was pointing a little bloodied finger at me. Guilt and fear swept through me and I turned around to face her. But she had already disappeared. I sighed in relief as I glanced back in the mirror. The fear was still visible in my eyes and I quickly schooled my features. I just hoped my brothers hadn't noticed anything. Unfortunately, they had. "You okay?" Elijah's gentle voice asked. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak yet. Come on, Eva, get a grip on yourself. You're a thousand year old immortal. It wasn't real. I raised my chin up high and left the room, pushing the girl to the back of my mind, where she belonged. When I had descended the stairs, I was back in control. I could hear Nik and Elijah come after me. "Where's Beks?" I asked as I entered the courtyard. "She left." Oh, weird. I knew she had left New Orleans, but when I had checked in on her yesterday, she seemed to be on her way here. Maybe she was still making up her mind about coming back. I was about to make the decision a whole lot easier. "Give me your phone." Elijah pulled out his phone and handed it to me. I went through his contact list and found Rebekah's number. I dialled it. It went straight to voicemail. I guess that meant that I should leave her a message. Too bad I wouldn't be able to see her reaction. "Hi Beks, it's me, your favourite girl in the whole wide world. I'm just calling you to let you know I'm back. I'm in New Orleans, but I have no idea how long I'll be staying. In case you don't get here before I'm gone, I just want you to know that I miss you and I love you. And I'm also very proud of you, you're someone to look up to, so thank you for that. Oh, and I'm watching over you. I love you, Bekah. Hope I'll see you soon." I handed Elijah the phone back. I took a deep breath and looked around. It was mid-afternoon and the sun was shining. I leaned my head back and felt the warmth of the sun touch my face. I closed my eyes and basked in the glow. "How wonderful it is to be alive." I twirled around, enjoying this small moment. Even though I had been able to watch the world and the people in it, I couldn't really feel it. I had been a mere observer, never taking part. Kol, Finn and Sage had been with me occasionally, but there were also times when we didn't run into one another. I watched over my family and I took a great interest in their lives, but that was all I could do. I could only observe and after a while, watching and listening loses its appeal. My other senses were dulled. I couldn't taste the food and drinks, I couldn't feel the soft covers of a bed and I couldn't smell the rich perfumes. And as I leaned my head back, I could do it all. So I closed my eyes and I just let the senses overwhelm me. I could hear the noises of the city, the babbling people, I inhaled various perfumes of people and of the flowers. I could also hear the beating hearts and I heard their blood rushing through their veins, I could almost taste it. My eyes flickered open. I looked around the courtyard. We weren't alone. Nik and Elijah were talking to Marcel and some other vampires. I went to stand by them. I smiled warmly at Marcel. I wondered whether he would remember me, I had lived in New Orleans on and off when the others had resided here. "Eva, I remember you. You were a spitfire. Fearless and pretty damn scary sometimes. It's good to see you." Marcel moved in for a hug. I let him hug me, remembering the little kid he used to be. "Just so we're clear. I've decided not to kill you because I can still remember the little boy you once were. But last I saw of you, you were already a vampire. You betrayed Nik and you really hurt Beks. And choosing a stupid city over Rebekah is probably the biggest mistake in your life. You're lucky I like you. Out of the whole bunch of people assembled here, you're at least the kind of person who remains true to who you are. I wish the same could be said for the Mikaelson brothers." Marcel chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind." "Good, because not even Elijah or Nik will be able to stop me when I decide I want to kill you." I added the threat nonchalantly, but Marcel got the underlying meaning. "Evanna, manners." Elijah scolded me. I flipped my hair aside. "Come on Elijah, I'm on my best behaviour. I haven't tortured anyone, or hurt them or killed someone." "Yet." Nik added. I glared at him. "You volunteering?" My brother smirked. "I can't be killed. And as entertaining as it would be to see you try, you're at a disadvantage, love." I took a step closer to him. "Want to bet?" "Niklaus, Evanna, please. Can we at least get through one hour without the two of you wanting to best one another?" Elijah said. Nik and I both rolled our eyes at him. "Don't rain on my parade, Elijah. And besides, we both know I am the best." Both of my brothers chuckled. Nik put an arm around me. "Sweetheart, I'm in full shape and you, my dearest, are obviously not." I couldn't really fault him in that. I had only just returned from the dead. But I wasn't going to tolerate his smugness. "That's right, you've got your wolf back. And I am hungry." I was a Mikaelson by blood, but I wasn't an Original in the strict sense of the word. I was an immortal, but I was never turned or made into a vampire. One day, I just woke up craving blood. It was still one of the biggest riddles in my entire existence, one I never managed to solve. The thing that set me apart most from my other siblings was my magic. I was a witch first, immortal second. "Probably best not to kill anyone. We're trying to blend in, love." I smiled and headed out the door. Man, I was starving. I walked down the streets of New Orleans, smiling like a fool. I was alive, feeling the sun on my face. I scanned the crowd, looking for something appetising. My eye fell on a man in his mid-twenties. He looked cute, his heart was beating regularly, always a good sign, so I decided to see how good I was at picking up people. I changed my direction and made it so that I would run into him. "My god, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying any..." I let my eyes roam over the guy, as if I was only noticing that he wasn't that bad looking. "...attention." I finished. The guy seemed to be charmed already. Perfect. "That's quite alright. You're not from around here, are you?" I brushed the hair out of my face. "That obvious?" The guy chuckled. "It's your accent." "Of course. I tend to forget it sometimes." I could hear his blood pulse through his veins. I was starving. Time to compel the poor lad. "Come with me." I said as I took his hand. I quickly found an abandoned alley. "Don't make a sound." I compelled the guy. I exposed his neck and sank my fangs into it. I closed my eyes and eagerly gulped the blood. It had been years since I'd had any and his tasted so good. "Eva, enough." I turned toward the voice. Shadows crawled over the alley. My heartbeat sped up, recognising this all too familiar scene. A chorus of voices rang through my head, all telling me it was my fault. Telling me I was a monster, that I didn't deserve to live. A figure stepped towards me. I couldn't let it come too close, so I rushed over there and snapped the figure's neck. "Evanna." Two hands grabbed my shoulders and brought me back. The shadows cleared from the alley. Nik was lying on the ground, dead. The other guy was lying there, almost entirely drained of blood. "No, no. Not again." I whispered as I cradled my head. Elijah didn't say anything as he gave the guy some of his blood and compelled the bloke to forget what had just occurred. I needed to get a grip on things. "Let's get back to the house." Elijah said as he handed me a handkerchief before throwing Nik's lifeless body over his shoulder. I smiled at him gratefully, relieved that he didn't say anything about what had just occurred. It was probably just a reprieve, though, Elijah never let things slide. I must look quite dishevelled, or Elijah would've remarked something already. I wiped my mouth and we wooshed back to the house. Elijah put Nik's body on the courtyard. Back in control of myself, I tried to keep Elijah of the topic. "He'll forgive me, right?" I said as I motioned at Nik's body. "His pride will be hurt, but he will. When has Nik ever held anything against you?" I smiled a bit. "Eva..." Elijah started, but he stopped as a new figure joined the fray. "Where do I need to send a thank you note to?" Haley asked as she entered the courtyard and saw Nik's dead body. I rolled my eyes at her. "Good to know how you feel about your baby's father. I already pity the girl." Haley looked at me in disbelief. "Evanna." Again with the exasperated tone. "Elijah." I mimicked Elijah's tone. He took me in for a moment and his gaze softened. "Come." Elijah said and he held out his hand. I took it and Elijah started guiding me away from the courtyard. "Haley, it would probably be in your best interests not to be here when Niklaus wakes up. He won't be in a good mood." Elijah shouted over his shoulder as he was leading me towards the kitchen. I could hear Haley follow us. I resisted the urge to groan, I so did not like that wereslut. I looked around the kitchen. It was a roomy kitchen, and renovated since the last time I had been here. It was dossed out with all the modern features and quite beautifully so. I took a deep breath and let it out. I closed my eyes and focused on the baby's heartbeat. It was soothing. I counted the fluttering beats. One. Two. I stopped. Two. That was the number of visions I'd had since being back. I didn't know how long I was going to keep this up. But I had to. I continued counting the baby's heartbeats. Five, six, seven. I felt sorry for the baby. She shouldn't be coming into this messed up world. Twenty-one, twenty-two. Unfortunately, she had no choice in the matter. Forty-eight, forty-nine. Suddenly the image of the bloodied little girl wormed its way back to the front of my mind and my eyes flickered open. My eyes met Elijah's. His were filled with concern. Mine with fear, probably. A ding announced something was warmed up. Elijah went to grab something from the microwave. I tried to gather my bearings. I was strong enough to do this. I leaned against the counter, my resolve was strengthening. I could do this. Elijah handed me a mug. "Here, drink." I took a sip. "My god, this is terrible." Elijah raised a brow. "Don't give me that, it tastes like plastic. How can anyone survive on blood bags when they know the taste of fresh, human blood? This is just awful." I said as I drained it. "Another one?" Elijah asked. I nodded. Distasteful as it might be, it was better than starving or draining some poor guy. "You can seriously taste the plastic from the bag?" Haley said as she looked at me in disbelief. "Oh look, it speaks." Elijah shot me a look, but didn't say anything. "What's your problem?" Haley asked, trying to look intimidating. "Sweetheart, if I have to start explaining what my problem is, we'll be here until sunrise." Haley took a step closer to me, trying to scare me. "You don't even know me." I tilted my head to the side. This attempt at being scary wasn't working. I actually found it rather amusing. "Don't strain yourself, little wolf." I said nonchalantly, hoping she'd get the insinuation I was making. The wereslut wasn't a lead in this story, she was just a figurine. "Who are we going to need to kill? Or did you already take care of that?" Marcel asked as he entered the kitchen. He was probably wondering whether Niklaus would want to retaliate. "I don't think that would be necessary, Marcel. Unless you would like to get yourself killed." Klaus' voice sounded from the other side. I slowly lifted my eyes to meet his gaze. Another ding announced that another cup of blood was warm. Nik took it out of the microwave and handed it to me. He placed a hand on my cheek. "You okay?" "I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm just acclimatising, you know?" I took the mug from his hand and brought it to my lips. "Heard anything from Beks?" "She should be here in a couple of hours." Elijah replied. I looked around the kitchen. It was a strange gathering. Haley, Marcel, Elijah, Nik and I. "How would you like to spend the rest of your time, princess?" Nik asked playfully. "Princess? Please Nik, I wasn't born to be a princess. Your little wolf was, however." "Evanna." Nik and Elijah both sighed. "What? I was merely pointing that fact out. Besides, I don't get why you'd settle for New Orleans. I mean, come on Nik. Where is your sense of adventure? I remember when you started a bloody war because you wanted your own empire. Poor Felipe never truly got over it." "If I remember correctly, you were the one that started that war, love. You had grown bored and you needed some entertainment." Niklaus countered and I smiled. "Actually, I just wanted my kingdom back." My lovely Wallachia. "Your kingdom, sweetheart? Last time I checked it was only yours by marriage. And weren't you only queen for a year or so?" "Well at least I was a legitimate queen." I pulled my hair free. "You were a queen? At which court?" Marcel asked, growing interested. "Yes, darling, which king would it be. God knows how many kings you have driven crazy with your beauty and wits." I send a very hateful glare in the direction of my brother. "Wallachian. I was married to Dracula's older brother." "The guy actually existed?" Haley inquired. "Trust me, the legend is entirely blown out of proportion. He really is nothing spectacular. Just a mundane vampire who had a very high opinion of himself." Elijah answered the wereslut. "Is he still alive?" Marcel asked. I rolled my eyes. "Seriously guys, Vlad's an ass. The whole Dracula story is nothing but a legend that he has invented for himself." "To answer your question, Marcel, Rebekah and Evanna impaled him." Nik said with a proud tone. I smiled at him. "You killed Dracula?" Haley asked in disbelief. "That I sure did. Beks and I had quite the fun. We dragged him all the way to our lovely castle before killing him. He deserved it for everything he did. Jerk." "What did he do to you?" I smiled devilishly at the wolf. "To me, nothing. He wouldn't have dared, being the little coward he was. Beks and I didn't do it for us. But we sure as hell made him pay. Anyways, we were talking about kingdoms, not my annoying brother in law. After all, I am part of a six hundred year old royal family." Nik and Elijah chuckled. "Watch it people, we have a queen on the lookout for a country." Elijah said. "There's always England, love. I remember you had taken quite the fancy for it. Unless it had everything to do with its king." I stared at Nik for a moment. "Ah yes, Tudor court. Darling Henry and all his wives." Nik smiled at me. "Yes, those were the days. You would keep Henry entertained while I would take the Boleyn girl. Until she was beheaded of course." "I must say, I never understood the fancy the two of you took at Henry's court. He was such a megalomaniac." Elijah interjected. "Oh, come on Elijah, it had its charms. Even you said so. And I do remember the fun we all had. With all those weddings came lots of parties." "Unfortunately, the man took bed, wed and behead way too seriously." Elijah said. Klaus and I both looked at one another before looking back at Elijah. I closed the distance between Elijah and me. "Are you feeling alright? Isn't your tie a bit too tight? Because if I didn't know better you just told a joke." I was fiddling with Elijah's tie and he grasped my hands. "I used to be very witty once, wasn't I?" Elijah said. I nodded. "Once, before you turned into some stuck up, hypocritical stiff man. I hate to break it to you, but you totally lost your Original edge. You're a Mikaelson, start acting like one." "Are you giving me a lecture, Eva? Because I remember that's supposed to be my job. And did you just call me a hypocritical stiff man?" I looked innocently at him. "She does have a point, brother. It's been a while since we've had a good laugh." Klaus came to stand beside me. "That's because Kol isn't here. He always knew how to pull off a prank." Elijah said in return. Silence fell between the three of us. I felt a pang of regret. I should be thinking of a way to get them back. There has to be a way and I would find one. The Mikaelsons, together once again. "We'll get them back." I promised. Both Elijah and Nik's head shot up and looked at me. "Don't. You can't play with life and death, Eva. Remember what happened last time." Elijah said as he let go of my hands. "This time will be different." I was aware of Marcel taking his leave, realising that he was intruding. Haley stayed, but I could care less about her. "You don't know that. You said so yourself, there are always consequences. Look at what mother tried to do. And even she couldn't bring Henry back. You failed, too. I will not let you attempt this. Some things should just remain the same." I shook my head violently. "So you'd rather I had stayed death too? I'm not going to leave Kol, Finn and Sage there. Not when we don't know what's happening with the Other Side." "How can you think for one minute that I'd rather spend my life without you in it? I love you, Eva, but I do not want to lose you again. Once is enough." Elijah said while trying to reach for me, but I was already retreating. "We won't let you risk your life, Eva. Not when we just have you back." I looked at both my brothers in utter shock. "What the hell is wrong with you two? Not only are the both of you acting like two idiotic, moronic, spiteful, arrogant hormone driven teenagers, but you're also turning your back on family? What happened to 'always and forever'?" "Evanna, you will not address us in such manner. We are only looking out for you. You are in no shape, you are not okay. And you died. Somehow, against all odds, you died. That wasn't supposed to happen and there is no way I'm letting you do that again. Do you hear me?" Nik was starting to raise his voice and his eyes took on a dangerous red glint. "It's my life, Nik. Mine. There was a time when you would understand. I won't deny it, I have my demons. But so have you, Nik. I never tried to stop you from killing Mikael. I never interfered with you daggering the others. I let you make those decisions for yourself even though I did not agree with them. But I understood, so I let you do what you thought was the right way to go at things. All I ask you is to do the same." Nik seemed conflicted. "You know what, Eva. Fine, make this decision for yourself. But don't expect me to help you. You're on your own for this one, sweetheart. I doubt I could be of much help, considering I'm a spiteful and arrogant idiot. I'm not going to stand by and watch." Nik said before stepping back down and looking at Elijah. "Well, that's one. What about you Elijah?" "I'm not letting you do this Eva." I shook my head in disbelief. "What happened to you? Noble, strong, honourable Elijah? You're like a ridiculed carved out caricature of the man you once were. You pretend to be all high and mighty, but stop pretending. Get off your high horse, Elijah. Stop acting as if you're any different from us. You have killed and you used to kill for family, no questions asked. For thousand years you stood by Nik. And now you suddenly turn your back on the others? Your own family?" "I'm trying to save your life. I'm sure Finn and Kol will understand. It's family after all." I couldn't believe that this was my brother. The one who had always believed that I could be saved. The honourable one, who wanted so desperately for us all to be happy. "You're not the man you used to be, Elijah. You haven't been ever since you let Katerina go. She deserved at least a goodbye, but you didn't even take your time for that. You need to get your shit together Elijah, because Nik might stand for it, but I sure as hell won't. From neither one of you. I might not be okay at least I am still true to who I am. I know I'm a monster and I have chosen to relish in it. There was a time when you both would have rejoiced with me. And there was also a time when you would let me make my own decisions. I can take care of myself. I have proven it many times. But I guess that when you're surrounded by females who are constantly acting as if they need men in their lives to save them and act as if they are merely tools for you to use, you kind of stop seeing them as actual people, more than capable of taking care of themselves. But here's the thing that really gets me and that is that, for some mysterious reason, you both have downgraded to something not even worthy of being called Originals, let alone Mikaelson." I was so disgusted and frustrated and mad at them that I just walked out of the room and headed outside. There was a storm on the way, I felt it. And I stood on the courtyard, waiting for the storm to hit.

Elijah and Nik looked at one another, too surprised to utter a single syllable. It was Haley who broke the silence. "You're just going to let her walk out of here? She insulted you, practically told you that you are just a bunch of losers, wanting to be winners. I'm surprised you haven't killed her yet." Hayley was rather annoyed with the ginger-haired girl. Haley felt threatened by the girl and she needed for Elijah and Klaus to get rid of her. She didn't want any competition. She had things she needed to accomplish and she needed the Mikaelsons to do that. Her plan would not fail. Elijah was the first to recover. "She's certainly alive and kicking." Both Elijah and Nik burst out in laughter. "Leave it up to her to call us out. There's no stopping her. Not when her mind is made up." Klaus said as soon as he had recovered. "I don't get it anymore." Haley was nowhere near happy where this was going. "Of course you don't little wolf. But when it comes to Eva, you'll learn to appreciate her outbursts. And there will be no talk of killing her. She is a member of my family and no harm will come to her. Now leave me and my brother be." Haley heard the finality in Klaus' voice and decided not to fight him on it. Maybe she could manipulate Elijah later on, she had already made some progress on that aspect. "What will we do now? She's not alright, Nik. You should've seen her, it's as if she's being haunted. I just wish she would talk to us and not just state the obvious." "I fear there isn't much we can do, brother. If we treat her any different, she will call us on it and push us away. Maybe Rebekah will come up with something, or maybe she will tell us eventually. For now, we'll just have to let her be. She's Evanna Mikaelson, there's no taming her, but she's our little sister, so we have to stand by her. Always and forever." Elijah nodded. "Always and forever."

The storm was about to hit. I thought back on my conversation with my brothers. Maybe I shouldn't have put it the way I did, but they had needed to hear it. It was time for some reflection for my brothers. They needed to pull themselves together, because I was going to need them in pristine Original shape. I missed Katerina. I hadn't seen her in so long. And I missed Caroline. Little did Nik know what had so long ago transpired between him and Caroline. All those memories were gone. But I still had them. And I had to keep the secrets hidden because I promised Caroline and I had promised Katerina. But I'm sure that they would've supported me on this for one hundred percent. At least Rebekah was on her way here.

The rain had finally started to fall and I leaned my head back to feel the raindrops on my skin. I remembered a similar storm, much like this one, over a thousand years ago. It had been when our family had still been human and I'd been only thirteen years old. Henry had still been alive and father hadn't been too hard on Nik yet. I would always get excited before a storm, it always held something enthralling in it. Mother hated my restlessness, but my older siblings and my father would indulge me. That night I had been even more restless than usual. I had ran outside when the rain had started to pour. Mother had called my name and ordered me to come back inside, but my father had shushed her and told her to let me enjoy the storm. I remembered spreading my arms and twirling around. My life had seemed so perfect back then.

"Mind if I join you?" Elijah's voice sounded from behind me. I turned to look at him. He offered me his hand. "Fine." He pulled me in and started waltzing. A smile touched Elijah's face. "It's been a long time since we've done this." "Too long. Just because we're dancing, it doesn't mean that you're forgiven." I put my head on Elijah's chest. "I'm not agreeing with you, Eva. But I will support your decision." I looked at Elijah and I knew he was being sincere. "Good." We continued waltzing. He twirled me around and for the first time in a while, I was actually enjoying myself.

The storm had stopped, the moment was gone. I stepped away from Elijah. "Come on, Beks should be arriving any moment now." I smiled at the thought, I was finally going to be able to talk to my sister again. It had been too long. Elijah was already starting to make his way towards the house, but I remained standing. Something was wrong. It had begun again. "Elijah." I whispered. He turned around and called out, but his words were drowned out by the voices in my head.

I put my face in my hands, hoping to quiet the voices, but it was useless. I closed my eyes and let the voices guide me. Images flashed through my mind. Blood, statues, floods. Cities rising, cities falling. Caves, water, storms. Shipwrecks, ruins, fires. Snakes, wolves, birds. Screams and laughter. Earth being ripped apart. A rock, broken in two. Sapphire, amethyst. Nightshades, oak tree. Beating heart out of its chest. Image after image. A myriad of voices, whispering to me in a thousand different tongues. And then silence, blessed silence. A full moon in a black sky, blood falling from above, the earth was red, saturated with blood. There I stood, amidst a storm of death. My hands were dripping with blood. A darkness had awoken. I screamed.

"Evanna?" Elijah's voice was barely above a whisper. I blinked, trying to get a grip on my surroundings. Coming back from a vision was anything but fun. I tried to calm myself, tried to get a grip on everything. I reached out, needing to anchor myself back to reality. Elijah's hand found mine. He squeezed it gently and pulled me closer. Nik was there too, my scream must have brought him here. I felt someone put something over my shoulders. I hadn't realised I'd been shivering until then. I let go of Elijah's hand and pulled the jacket on. It was Nik's. I breathed in the familiar scent. I closed my eyes and let my mind take me back home.

"Evanna?" This time it was Nik's voice, asking the same question as Elijah had. What had I seen? I opened my eyes and looked at my brothers. My mind was already shifting through everything. "There's a war coming." I said quietly. I didn't see the future as it would play out. I got images, that at first seem completely unrelated and random. But then there are the voices, they are the key to the puzzle. Some connections were easily made. Like the war that was going to break out. I hadn't yet figured out who was going to partake in it. It was going to big, that much I knew. Usually, it never took me this long to figure it out, but this vision proved to be difficult. There had been a lot more images than usual. And I could still remember all those voices, all those different languages. Languages long forgotten.

"We'll handle it. Like we always do." Nik said reassuringly. I shook my head. "Not this time, Nik. It's bigger. This war has been in the making for thousands of years. It predates time." I bit my lip, trying to put the pieces together. "What are we supposed to do, then?" Elijah asked. I shook my head. "I don't know. It's unclear. It's all so jumbled up." I started massaging my temples, hoping the headache would subside and clear up the fog that was messing with my reasoning. Elijah put his hands on my shoulders. "Eva, it's okay, we'll figure it out. Together." I looked at Elijah and at Nik. He nodded in agreement. "It's not okay. This is important 'Lijah. The answer just keeps slipping out of my grasp. One moment it's right there and the next it's gone. I just can't seem to solve this puzzle." I was getting frustrated and angry. My headache wasn't subsiding.

The images weren't all catalogued yet, some of them kept swimming through my thoughts. It was all some big mess and it needed to get organised so I could figure out what the hell we were dealing with. I felt the pieces drifting away, it was of no use. The harder I tried, the less I got. Thunder rumbled and a bolt of lightning struck. "Eva, we'll get this sorted out." Nik said on a soothing tone. But I didn't listen. I was stubborn and I was used to getting my way. So, I kept going. Whenever I get upset or angry about something, my emotions would spike my magic. And that usually resulted in a storm or an earthquake. As was the case right now. "Evanna, please, calm yourself." Elijah ordered. Still, I ignored him, trying to make sense of the floating images in my head.

"Well, seems like I've got here just in time. You two idiots are doing a very poor job." A voice I had been wanting to hear ever since I returned said to me. Just like that I let everything slide and ran to my sister. I put a lot more force into it than I had intended and both of us went down. Beks was laughing and I joined. "I've never been so happy to be tackled in my entire life." Rebekah said as she hugged me tight. Eventually we got up, but I remained in her embrace a few moments longer. When we finally did pull apart, I saw a tear fall from her eye. "I missed you so much, you know that?" "Likewise. You look beautiful. The twenty-first century suits you." She put a hand on my cheek. "Thanks. It's really good to see you, Eva."

"Rebekah." Elijah said from behind me. Beks let go of me and went to hug Elijah. "Hello sister." I turned towards Nik. "We're not going to this, Nik. What's in the past is in the past." I warned my brother. "I was only greeting Rebekah, Eva. Now that we're all here, I believe it may not be a bad idea to get started on your venture." Beks turned to look at me. "You haven't been back for twenty four hours and already you're thinking about cooking up your newest plan?" My sister said with a smile. "I'm going to bring us all together, once again." There was a sparkle in her eyes. "You can do that?" "Take note, brothers, that is how one ought to react when announcing your plan to bring your family back together." "We were only concerned for your wellbeing, Eva." Elijah said. I shrugged it off. "Yeah, well, it's happening either way. We'll be needing…" I trailed off.

Suddenly a piece clicked. "Eva?" Rebekah asked. "Something evil has awoken. An evil that should've remained buried. It's all connected. This war, my death, me being back alive. The Other Side crumbling down. Whatever's going to come, it's going to change the way this game is played." "A war? You've had a vision. It explains the whole storm/earthquake thing." Beks concluded. "What do you propose we do, or what were you planning on doing before your eureka moment?" "We need to talk. All of us. In private." "Sweetheart, you do realise that one, we're surrounded by vampires with excellent hearing, two, not everyone is present, some are in fact dead which will be kind of hard to go around, and three, how do you suggest we do that?"

"I'm glad you ask. I'll be needing candles, one of the daggers and a normal dagger too. A table would come in handy. Some chalk or something. Ametrine, if you have that lying around. If not, emerald or onyx will do just fine. Nightshade, belladonna or mandrake will do, dandelions, basil, wormwood and of course, some sage. An oak twig, too, and I don't suppose we have any ash of the white oak tree lying around?" I was making this up as I went along. I had this idea and was about eighty seven percent sure it was going to work. "I'm afraid not." Nik said. "Never mind it, then. Elijah, would you be so kind as to bring back a bottle of wine from your cellar?"

Both Nik and Beks turned to look at Elijah. Guess they didn't know about Elijah's wine cellar. "Why would you want wine? Is it part of this spell?" Nik asked, a bit confused. "Of course not, I just want a drink, and no offense, but Elijah's got better taste in wine then you do." Nik shook his head. "Alright then, what else do you need?" "Mother's grimoire would be nice, though I'm not sure how much help it would offer. Can you get me some blood too?" I started walking around the courtyard, trying to find the best spot. I decided to do the spell on the left side of the fountain, near the side of the Abattoir.

I never really like this place all that much. There was so much dead in here. I could still feel the remaining energy of all the animals that had died here. Not to speak of the humans and vampires. And that's when an idea occurred to me. I could use this energy to my advantage. "Have any of you stumbled upon some bat's head root?" "You might want to try some of the shops in the French Quarter." Nik said. "Alright. Let's get everything in order. I'll take care of the herbs, then." I went outside to find locate some shops that would most certainly sell the herbs I needed.

The Quarter was buzzing with activity. I could feel the energy, hear the beating hearts, smell their excitement, lust and angst. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Now was not the time. I walked towards a shop I remembered from when I had last set foot in New Orleans. A jingle announced my arrival. The store hadn't changed too much, but it had commercialised, like all the others. New Orleans had become a real magnet for believers in magic. I made my way through the store, trying to locate the ingredients for my spell. There were few people in the store, looking for a thrill. I was moving towards the two young girls that were looking at the hexes. "Cute." I said. Both girls looked at me. "This bitch from school is making our lives a living hell. It would be fine if she'd just leave us alone, but she just keeps pushing. We want to make her pay." How petty and yet, I understood the need to avenge being wronged. I looked at the hexes. I smiled. "You might want to think bigger. That won't work." I drifted to the store and grabbed some bird bones. I took a Swastika talisman and some lavender. "Here, all you need to do is put the name of the one you want to torment on a piece of paper, put these items in a small hex bag and give it to them. Then light a candle and burn the piece of paper after sprinkling cayenne pepper in the flame." I infused the talisman with some magic. Both girls looked at me. "How do you know that?"

"How does anyone know anything? You are in the French Quarter after all. Evanna, I did not know you were in town, though the earthquake should've given it away." I turned towards Nandi, the owner of Nandi's Specials. "Nandi, how lovely to see you. I must say, you don't look a year over fifty. Some herbs you've been using." She was supposed to be eighty at least. She was a witch and she also happened to be Valerie LaMarche's daughter. A woman I had little regard for, but luckily, Nandi didn't practise expression. We'd met when I had been in New Orleans before I died. "Herbs won't keep me from dying, Eva. Something you seem to have no problem overcoming. It's been decades and you have not changed one bit."

The girls were making their way to the exit, but I whooshed over there to stop them. They seemed scared. I couldn't blame them. No human would be able to rush over there so fast. But I was no human. "You haven't paid yet, it would be a big mistake to steal from a witch." "We don't want the hex after all. We have to go." For a moment, I considered to have some fun with them, but I had other things I needed to take care of. "Of course. Well, why don't you go then and forget what just happened here, would you?" I put some compulsion in it, so they wouldn't be able to recall it, though I doubted anyone would believe them. Still, one could never be too careful. I moved out of the way and let them leave.

"Not that it is not good to see you, but I am a bit on a tight schedule. I need Ametrine and mastic." "Those aren't items one has just lying around. What are you planning on doing?" Nandi asked as she started shuffling through the store. "I have need of the Original family. All of them." "You're going to summon the dead." She was a smart witch, I'd give her that. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Besides, from what I've gathered, it has been quite the rage these days. Papa Tundé, Celeste, Genevieve." She handed me the stone. "The Harvest Ritual, as you may know, was highjacked, yet it wasn't anything too unnatural." I knew Nandi had an aversion towards crude methods. Her mother had used expression and Nandi had been rather repulsed by it. "I'll do whatever it takes to get the Mikaelsons back. Do you have any bat's head root in this shop of yours?"

"That's some dangerous magic you intend to pull off, Eva. Don't let it take control over you." Nandi warned as she went to the back to retrieve my mastic. A jingle announced another visitor. "Sophie Deveraux." Nandi greeted as she came back with my mastic and my bat's head root. "Nandi, I need your help." Sophie regarded me. "Don't mind me, I'm just about to leave. You'll have to ask Elijah to settle the bill. I'm out of money." Nandi handed me my items hesitantly.

"Be careful, Evanna. The Mikaelsons aren't some petty vampires you can fool." I smiled. She didn't know that I was a Mikaelson. Of course, that had been one of the best guarded secrets in the world. "I'll be fine. Thanks for the help and take care of yourself." I walked out of the shop.

"There you are, I was wondering whether you got lost. Did you find everything you needed?" Nik asked as I returned to the Abattoir. "Yeah. Where's Elijah?" Beks was there, standing by a table with candles. "Not back yet." "Well, we can already start the preparations." I put my items on the table and picked the piece of chalk. I drew a pentagram on the floor, infusing it with some magic. I grabbed the normal dagger and pierced my skin with it. I let some of the drops fall on the pentagram. That ought to keep to work. I hoped.

"Here." Beks handed me a bloodbag. She'd put a pink straw into it. I smiled at her. The three of us sat in silence for a moment, waiting for Elijah to come back. "We have a problem." Elijah said as he ran back in. His tie was a bit messed up. The three of us looked up. "Mother's grimoire is gone." Both Nik and Rebekah were outraged. "Don't worry about it. Did you bring the wine?" "Eva, our mother's grimoire, the one that holds the spell she used to create us and a whole lot of other important and powerful spells, is missing."

"Did you bring the wine?" I asked again, a hint of impatience in my voice. "Yes." Elijah said as he handed me the bottle. "Good choice. And stop worrying about the grimoire. There's been a spell on it for about a thousand years. Anyone who attempts to use it without our permission will have some trouble reading it. And lifting the spell requires the blood of the entire Original Family. Since about half of them are dead, I wouldn't worry about that. Plus, Esther already made sure that some spells were illegible to anyone using the grimoire who doesn't share her blood." "Oh." Elijah said as he started fixing his tie.

Now that we were here, it was about time to get this thing started. I just needed to test my spell. "Marcel, could you be so kind and get me those candles from the table, please?" I asked as I saw Marcel enter my peripheral field of vision. I watched as he walked over to the table, but was stopped by an invisible wall. I smiled. "Really funny, Eva." Marcel said as he hit the barrier. "I was just seeing whether my spell worked. Nik, could you lend Marcel a hand?" Nik walked over there and wasn't stopped by the barrier. "I guess this means it worked?" Rebekah asked as Nik grabbed the candles. "What worked?" Hayley asked as she walked into the courtyard. "A spell." And suddenly I remembered something Kol had said. "Hayley, would you mind getting me the knife that's lying on the table over there? I'd like to show Rebekah something." Hayley sighed but went to the table and was stopped by the barrier. "I can't reach it." "You don't say. Never mind then." "Something wrong, Eva?" Elijah asked when he saw me stare at Hayley. "Just thinking that Kol may have been right." "Those are two things you don't usually put in the same sentence." Nik remarked as he walked back towards me and gave me the candles. "I'll explain when we're in private." I took the candles from my brother. "Marcel, could you see to it that the abattoir is empty but the four of us?" Marcel looked a bit unsure, but he nodded anyways. "Planning something big, Eva?" "I just don't like spectators, Marcel. I'm counting on you."

For you the world is a place to survive. You are usually quiet and keep to yourself, because you are too busy thinking and dreaming about your passions in life. You truly care for others, and feel their pains and sorrows. You can read a persons mind, and sometimes calculate your own future. You are full of surprises and mysteries. You are always searching for your purpose in the world. Your friends are few but also loyal and true. You also enjoy a decadent life but be careful because you might take it to extremes. Scorpios are the hardest zodiac signs to grasp and understand. Your true desire is love and peace.


	2. Chapter 2

The storm had stopped, the moment was gone. I stepped away from Elijah. "Come on, Beks should be arriving any moment now." I smiled at the thought, I was finally going to be able to talk to my sister again. It had been too long. Elijah was already starting to make his way towards the house, but I remained standing. Something was wrong. It had begun again. "Elijah." I whispered. He turned around and called out, but his words were drowned out by the voices in my head.

I put my face in my hands, hoping to quiet the voices, but it was useless. I closed my eyes and let the voices guide me. Images flashed through my mind. Blood, statues, floods. Cities rising, cities falling. Caves, water, storms. Shipwrecks, ruins, fires. Snakes, wolves, birds. Screams and laughter. Earth being ripped apart. A rock, broken in two. Sapphire, amethyst. Nightshades, oak tree. Beating heart out of its chest. Image after image. A myriad of voices, whispering to me in a thousand different tongues. And then silence, blessed silence. A full moon in a black sky, blood falling from above, the earth was red, saturated with blood. There I stood, amidst a storm of death. My hands were dripping with blood. A darkness had awoken. I screamed.

"Evanna?" Elijah's voice was barely above a whisper. I blinked, trying to get a grip on my surroundings. Coming back from a vision was anything but fun. I tried to calm myself, tried to get a grip on everything. I reached out, needing to anchor myself back to reality. Elijah's hand found mine. He squeezed it gently and pulled me closer. Nik was there too, my scream must have brought him here. I felt someone put something over my shoulders. I hadn't realised I'd been shivering until then. I let go of Elijah's hand and pulled the jacket on. It was Nik's. I breathed in the familiar scent. I closed my eyes and let my mind take me back home.

"Evanna?" This time it was Nik's voice, asking the same question as Elijah had. What had I seen? I opened my eyes and looked at my brothers. My mind was already shifting through everything. "There's a war coming." I said quietly. I didn't see the future as it would play out. I got images, that at first seem completely unrelated and random. But then there are the voices, they are the key to the puzzle. Some connections were easily made. Like the war that was going to break out. I hadn't yet figured out who was going to partake in it. It was going to big, that much I knew. Usually, it never took me this long to figure it out, but this vision proved to be difficult. There had been a lot more images than usual. And I could still remember all those voices, all those different languages. Languages long forgotten.

"We'll handle it. Like we always do." Nik said reassuringly. I shook my head. "Not this time, Nik. It's bigger. This war has been in the making for thousands of years. It predates time." I bit my lip, trying to put the pieces together. "What are we supposed to do, then?" Elijah asked. I shook my head. "I don't know. It's unclear. It's all so jumbled up." I started massaging my temples, hoping the headache would subside and clear up the fog that was messing with my reasoning. Elijah put his hands on my shoulders. "Eva, it's okay, we'll figure it out. Together." I looked at Elijah and at Nik. He nodded in agreement. "It's not okay. This is important 'Lijah. The answer just keeps slipping out of my grasp. One moment it's right there and the next it's gone. I just can't seem to solve this puzzle." I was getting frustrated and angry. My headache wasn't subsiding.

The images weren't all catalogued yet, some of them kept swimming through my thoughts. It was all some big mess and it needed to get organised so I could figure out what the hell we were dealing with. I felt the pieces drifting away, it was of no use. The harder I tried, the less I got. Thunder rumbled and a bolt of lightning struck. "Eva, we'll get this sorted out." Nik said on a soothing tone. But I didn't listen. I was stubborn and I was used to getting my way. So, I kept going. Whenever I get upset or angry about something, my emotions would spike my magic. And that usually resulted in a storm or an earthquake. As was the case right now. "Evanna, please, calm yourself." Elijah ordered. Still, I ignored him, trying to make sense of the floating images in my head.

"Well, seems like I've got here just in time. You two idiots are doing a very poor job." A voice I had been wanting to hear ever since I returned said to me. Just like that I let everything slide and ran to my sister. I put a lot more force into it than I had intended and both of us went down. Beks was laughing and I joined. "I've never been so happy to be tackled in my entire life." Rebekah said as she hugged me tight. Eventually we got up, but I remained in her embrace a few moments longer. When we finally did pull apart, I saw a tear fall from her eye. "I missed you so much, you know that?" "Likewise. You look beautiful. The twenty-first century suits you." She put a hand on my cheek. "Thanks. It's really good to see you, Eva."

"Rebekah." Elijah said from behind me. Beks let go of me and went to hug Elijah. "Hello sister." I turned towards Nik. "We're not going to this, Nik. What's in the past is in the past." I warned my brother. "I was only greeting Rebekah, Eva. Now that we're all here, I believe it may not be a bad idea to get started on your venture." Beks turned to look at me. "You haven't been back for twenty four hours and already you're thinking about cooking up your newest plan?" My sister said with a smile. "I'm going to bring us all together, once again." There was a sparkle in her eyes. "You can do that?" "Take note, brothers, that is how one ought to react when announcing your plan to bring your family back together." "We were only concerned for your wellbeing, Eva." Elijah said. I shrugged it off. "Yeah, well, it's happening either way. We'll be needing…" I trailed off.

Suddenly a piece clicked. "Eva?" Rebekah asked. "Something evil has awoken. An evil that should've remained buried. It's all connected. This war, my death, me being back alive. The Other Side crumbling down. Whatever's going to come, it's going to change the way this game is played." "A war? You've had a vision. It explains the whole storm/earthquake thing." Beks concluded. "What do you propose we do, or what were you planning on doing before your eureka moment?" "We need to talk. All of us. In private." "Sweetheart, you do realise that one, we're surrounded by vampires with excellent hearing, two, not everyone is present, some are in fact dead which will be kind of hard to go around, and three, how do you suggest we do that?"

"I'm glad you ask. I'll be needing candles, one of the daggers and a normal dagger too. A table would come in handy. Some chalk or something. Ametrine, if you have that lying around. If not, emerald or onyx will do just fine. Nightshade, belladonna or mandrake will do, dandelions, basil, wormwood and of course, some sage. An oak twig, too, and I don't suppose we have any ash of the white oak tree lying around?" I was making this up as I went along. I had this idea and was about eighty seven percent sure it was going to work. "I'm afraid not." Nik said. "Never mind it, then. Elijah, would you be so kind as to bring back a bottle of wine from your cellar?"

Both Nik and Beks turned to look at Elijah. Guess they didn't know about Elijah's wine cellar. "Why would you want wine? Is it part of this spell?" Nik asked, a bit confused. "Of course not, I just want a drink, and no offense, but Elijah's got better taste in wine then you do." Nik shook his head. "Alright then, what else do you need?" "Mother's grimoire would be nice, though I'm not sure how much help it would offer. Can you get me some blood too?" I started walking around the courtyard, trying to find the best spot. I decided to do the spell on the left side of the fountain, near the side of the Abattoir.

I never really like this place all that much. There was so much dead in here. I could still feel the remaining energy of all the animals that had died here. Not to speak of the humans and vampires. And that's when an idea occurred to me. I could use this energy to my advantage. "Have any of you stumbled upon some bat's head root?" "You might want to try some of the shops in the French Quarter." Nik said. "Alright. Let's get everything in order. I'll take care of the herbs, then." I went outside to find locate some shops that would most certainly sell the herbs I needed.

The Quarter was buzzing with activity. I could feel the energy, hear the beating hearts, smell their excitement, lust and angst. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Now was not the time. I walked towards a shop I remembered from when I had last set foot in New Orleans. A jingle announced my arrival. The store hadn't changed too much, but it had commercialised, like all the others. New Orleans had become a real magnet for believers in magic. I made my way through the store, trying to locate the ingredients for my spell. There were few people in the store, looking for a thrill. I was moving towards the two young girls that were looking at the hexes. "Cute." I said. Both girls looked at me. "This bitch from school is making our lives a living hell. It would be fine if she'd just leave us alone, but she just keeps pushing. We want to make her pay." How petty and yet, I understood the need to avenge being wronged. I looked at the hexes. I smiled. "You might want to think bigger. That won't work." I drifted to the store and grabbed some bird bones. I took a Swastika talisman and some lavender. "Here, all you need to do is put the name of the one you want to torment on a piece of paper, put these items in a small hex bag and give it to them. Then light a candle and burn the piece of paper after sprinkling cayenne pepper in the flame." I infused the talisman with some magic. Both girls looked at me. "How do you know that?"

"How does anyone know anything? You are in the French Quarter after all. Evanna, I did not know you were in town, though the earthquake should've given it away." I turned towards Nandi, the owner of Nandi's Specials. "Nandi, how lovely to see you. I must say, you don't look a year over fifty. Some herbs you've been using." She was supposed to be eighty at least. She was a witch and she also happened to be Valerie LaMarche's daughter. A woman I had little regard for, but luckily, Nandi didn't practise expression. We'd met when I had been in New Orleans before I died. "Herbs won't keep me from dying, Eva. Something you seem to have no problem overcoming. It's been decades and you have not changed one bit."

The girls were making their way to the exit, but I whooshed over there to stop them. They seemed scared. I couldn't blame them. No human would be able to rush over there so fast. But I was no human. "You haven't paid yet, it would be a big mistake to steal from a witch." "We don't want the hex after all. We have to go." For a moment, I considered to have some fun with them, but I had other things I needed to take care of. "Of course. Well, why don't you go then and forget what just happened here, would you?" I put some compulsion in it, so they wouldn't be able to recall it, though I doubted anyone would believe them. Still, one could never be too careful. I moved out of the way and let them leave.

"Not that it is not good to see you, but I am a bit on a tight schedule. I need Ametrine and mastic." "Those aren't items one has just lying around. What are you planning on doing?" Nandi asked as she started shuffling through the store. "I have need of the Original family. All of them." "You're going to summon the dead." She was a smart witch, I'd give her that. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Besides, from what I've gathered, it has been quite the rage these days. Papa Tundé, Celeste, Genevieve." She handed me the stone. "The Harvest Ritual, as you may know, was highjacked, yet it wasn't anything too unnatural." I knew Nandi had an aversion towards crude methods. Her mother had used expression and Nandi had been rather repulsed by it. "I'll do whatever it takes to get the Mikaelsons back. Do you have any bat's head root in this shop of yours?"

"That's some dangerous magic you intend to pull off, Eva. Don't let it take control over you." Nandi warned as she went to the back to retrieve my mastic. A jingle announced another visitor. "Sophie Deveraux." Nandi greeted as she came back with my mastic and my bat's head root. "Nandi, I need your help." Sophie regarded me. "Don't mind me, I'm just about to leave. You'll have to ask Elijah to settle the bill. I'm out of money." Nandi handed me my items hesitantly.

"Be careful, Evanna. The Mikaelsons aren't some petty vampires you can fool." I smiled. She didn't know that I was a Mikaelson. Of course, that had been one of the best guarded secrets in the world. "I'll be fine. Thanks for the help and take care of yourself." I walked out of the shop.

"There you are, I was wondering whether you got lost. Did you find everything you needed?" Nik asked as I returned to the Abattoir. "Yeah. Where's Elijah?" Beks was there, standing by a table with candles. "Not back yet." "Well, we can already start the preparations." I put my items on the table and picked the piece of chalk. I drew a pentagram on the floor, infusing it with some magic. I grabbed the normal dagger and pierced my skin with it. I let some of the drops fall on the pentagram. That ought to keep to work. I hoped.

"Here." Beks handed me a bloodbag. She'd put a pink straw into it. I smiled at her. The three of us sat in silence for a moment, waiting for Elijah to come back. "We have a problem." Elijah said as he ran back in. His tie was a bit messed up. The three of us looked up. "Mother's grimoire is gone." Both Nik and Rebekah were outraged. "Don't worry about it. Did you bring the wine?" "Eva, our mother's grimoire, the one that holds the spell she used to create us and a whole lot of other important and powerful spells, is missing."

"Did you bring the wine?" I asked again, a hint of impatience in my voice. "Yes." Elijah said as he handed me the bottle. "Good choice. And stop worrying about the grimoire. There's been a spell on it for about a thousand years. Anyone who attempts to use it without our permission will have some trouble reading it. And lifting the spell requires the blood of the entire Original Family. Since about half of them are dead, I wouldn't worry about that. Plus, Esther already made sure that some spells were illegible to anyone using the grimoire who doesn't share her blood." "Oh." Elijah said as he started fixing his tie.

Now that everyone was here, it was about time to get this thing started. I just needed to test my spell. "Marcel, could you be so kind and get me those candles from the table, please?" I asked as I saw Marcel enter my peripheral field of vision. I watched as he walked over to the table, but was stopped by an invisible wall. I smiled. "Really funny, Eva." Marcel said as he hit the barrier. "I was just seeing whether my spell worked. Nik, could you lend Marcel a hand?" Nik walked over there and wasn't stopped by the barrier. "I guess this means it worked?" Rebekah asked as Nik grabbed the candles. "What worked?" Hayley asked as she walked into the courtyard. "A spell." And suddenly I remembered something Kol had said. "Hayley, would you mind getting me the knife that's lying on the table over there? I'd like to show Rebekah something." Hayley sighed but went to the table and was stopped by the barrier. "I can't reach it." "You don't say. Never mind then." "Something wrong, Eva?" Elijah asked when he saw me stare at Hayley. "Just thinking that Kol may have been right." "Those are two things you don't usually put in the same sentence." Nik remarked as he walked back towards me and gave me the candles. "I'll explain when we're in private." I took the candles from my brother. "Marcel, could you see to it that the abattoir is empty but the four of us?" Marcel looked a bit unsure, but he nodded anyways. "Planning something big, Eva?" "I just don't like spectators, Marcel. I'm counting on you." Marcel nodded and started clearing the people out.

"What about me?" Hayley asked. "You can stay, I guess. Whatever makes you feel comfortable." I shrugged. I honestly didn't care about the girl. I had no reason to, she wasn't family. And she probably wasn't even carrying my niece. I'd have to check that later. Now, I needed to get the wax melting. I grabbed a bowl as not to spill it on the floor. I kept the bowl warm, focussing my energy on it.

"I'll be needing your blood. A couple of drops will do." I announced and without asking further questions, my siblings did that. After adding my blood in the mix, I turned the molten wax back into candles, now infused with Mikaelson blood. "What are you?" Hayley asked. "Didn't your mother tell you that it is rude to ask people what they are?" I said as I put the candles in place. Each one went on a point of the pentagram. I could feel Elijah's eyes on me. "Fine. I'm a witch." I looked at Elijah, my eyes conveying 'whether he was pleased no", he smiled at me in approval. "But you drink blood?" Hayley countered. "I also happen to be an immortal." I said as I joined my siblings. "How?" "That is a question I've been asking myself for a thousand years. Now, if you'll…" I trailed, noticing the red headed witched approaching. "Nik, could you get rid of her, please?" I hated Genevieve. Especially after what she'd done to Rebekah. "Five minutes." He said and went to talk to her.

"Why is she still alive?" Rebekah inquired. "He needed a new plaything, I guess." "But does it have to be her?" I shrugged. I knew that eventually, Nik would find his way back to the blonde vampire who was currently residing in Mystic Falls. "You did ruin that relationship, Rebekah." Elijah said, matter of factly. "I don't regret it, though." "Speaking of ruined relationships…" I hit Elijah, breaking his nose. Hayley gasped and helped Elijah up, but he shrugged her off. "I guess I deserved that." Elijah said as he fixed his nose. I snorted. "Yeah, you did. Too bad she isn't here to give you a peace of her mind." "She'd probably be clawing my eyes out." "She'd have you on the ground, begging for mercy." And then we started laughing. "I should've said goodbye." Elijah said as we sobered up. "Goodbyes are the only perfect things we get."

"I never got how you could stand her." Rebekah said, looking at me. "It was the only one of Elijah's ladyloves I cared about. And one day, you'll understand." "Even after all this time, you still speak in riddles." I smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment. Now what is taking so long? His five minutes are up. I'd better go say hi." I said and left to get my other brother.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"What was that all about?" Hayley asked as she, once again, watched how this hateful Evanna walked away. "Just Evanna being herself. I'm actually surprised it has taken her that long." Rebekah answered the wolf. "She's had a lot on her mind." "How is she?" Rebekah was concerned about her sister. "Dead set on bringing us back together." "Has she mentioned Killian? Kyra?" Elijah shook his head. "She hasn't talked about them in centuries, I doubt she'd bring them up now." Rebekah looked as Evanna interrupted Nik and Genevieve. A small smile tugged at her lips. She was so happy to have her sister back. "I'd just hoped, you know, she might've seen them." "She hasn't mentioned anything of that kind."

"Who is she?" Hayley asked, genuinely curious. It was obvious to her that the Mikaelson cared deeply for the girl. They pretty much dropped everything the moment that this Evanna had set foot in this house. "Family." Hayley wanted to know more, but she knew that this was all she was going to get. She'd find out eventually.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Nik, Genevieve. So lovely to meet you, but I'm afraid you'll have to go now." Genevieve seemed to be taken aback by my appearance. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we have met." "Where are my manners? I'm Evanna." I held out my hand. Genevieve hesitantly took it. "What brings you to New Orleans?" "Family matters to which we must now attend." I said with my most innocent smile. "I had plans with Klaus." "Plans we'll unfortunately have to cancel, love. It's what I've been trying to explain for the past five minutes." "You still haven't told me why, nor have you told me why Rebekah is back in town. I thought she was forbidden to return again." "Rebekah is back because I asked her to come back. The rest is none of your business. Now I suggest you leave before I make you." I didn't like the witch' disdain when she spoke of my sister. I was getting agitated. I needed to know what was going on with the Other Side and whether my brothers were alright. "I'd love to see you try." Genevieve said, getting ready to strike. "Genevieve, you should really leave." "You're taking her side?" "Always." Klaus said with a smile. It was clear that Genevieve was nothing more than a plaything and I think Genevieve only just noticed that. "I see. Don't bother to call." And Genevieve walked away.

We all went to stand inside the pentagram. The candles flickered to life. I took the iron bowl. I lighted a match to burn the sage and other herbs I'd gathered. Then I dropped them in the bowl in which I'd already put the Ametrine. I took the athame. Nik and Elijah were both on my sides, Rebekah was across from me. "Do we need to do anything?" Rebekah asked. "I'll need some blood again." Rebekah handed me her hand. I slid the knife across her palm and did the same with my brother. During the drawing of blood, I started chanting.

" _Sanguinem sanguine, vocare te_

 _Sanguinem sanguine, revertimini_

 _Tenetur per sanguinem,_

 _Sanguis est fatum,_

 _Sanguis est immolare,_

 _Sanguis potestas est,_

 _Sanguinem sanguine, vocare te_

 _Sanguinem sanguine, revertimini_

 _Sanguis est in aeternum."_

A breeze went through the courtyard. I felt the magic flow through my blood, calling out to my brothers, asking them to come back here.

"Kol? Finn?" Rebekah whispered. I opened my eyes and smiled. "I'll be damned." Kol said. "Language, Kol." Both Finn and Elijah said at the same time. I laughed. "You did it." Nik said, surprised. "Don't shout it from the roof yet, Nik. We're only ghosts. In order to bring us back, our dear little sister will have to come up with something else." Kol said. "We have a lot to talk about." Finn said. We all nodded. This was going to be a very long night.

1076 – Ireland

I watched as the man looked at me in terror. I smiled, relishing in his fear. invading the man's mind, letting his fear come over me. He was scared, scared to die. I saw his life pass before my eyes. Brendan, that was his name. He was a farmer, had a wife and kids. Probably a genuinely nice guy from what I could gather. But I didn't care. I wanted to make him feel as miserable as I was feeling. Then realisation hit him. He knew he was going to die and his one regret was that he wouldn't get to say goodbye. I knew how that felt. I never go to say goodbye, either. And neither did he.

And then it was over. I drained him of his blood and lighted his body on fire with my magic. His family would never know. I wiped my mouth from the blood and looked around. This place was nice. Green. Then I noticed I wasn't alone. I turned to face the stranger. Red hair, blue eyes. She looked pretty. I smiled at her. "Can I help you?" "You're hunting in my territory." The red head snarled. Her territory? I raised my brow in question. She was a vampire. Like my siblings. I didn't respond, I just observed her. I hadn't met another vampire. I wondered whether she was created. "You need to leave." The girl commanded. "I quite like it here." I said, waiting for her reaction. She attacked me and I let her. The moment her hand made contact with my neck, I knew what I needed to know. She was sired, by my brother. They could pass it down. Finn had given her his blood, then he had killed her. In order to become a vampire she had to feed from a human. Sage. Sage had begged my brother to turn her, even though he'd believed it was wrong. My brother had obviously found someone to spend his eternity with. He deserved it. I'd learnt enough. I didn't need to know about their intimacy. I pushed her off.

"If you don't leave, I'll have to kill you." "Don't be rude, Sage." She attacked me again. "How do you know my name?" This girl needed to learn some manners. I focused my mind and willed her blood to boil. She stopped dean in her tracks and screamed in agony. "Like I said, don't be rude." "Please, stop." She managed to say. I had to admire her strength. I did. The girl looked at me in disbelief. "How?" But before I could answer that Finn joined in.

"Evanna?" I turned to look at my oldest brother. "Long time no see, brother." He just stared at me. I couldn't blame him. By all means, I ought to be dead by now. And if not, an old woman. "What happened to you?" Shock was evident in his tone. "I don't know. One day I woke up like this." "What about Killian?" I shook my head. "He's dead." My voice void of emotion. Finn walked up to me and pulled me in for a hug. "I'm sorry you became like this. It was not the faith I wished for you." I leaned into his embrace, forcing my emotions to remain in check. After a couple of moments he let go.

"Where's Mikael?" "I don't know. I took off after I became like this." "Did he do this to you?" "No. Finn, I'm not like you, I'm not a vampire. I still have my powers. I'm still in touch with my magic." I blurted out the truth. "Do the others know?" "I haven't seen them yet." Finn nodded. "This is Sage, but I take you already know everything about her." "I'm sorry about attacking you, I didn't know who you were." Sage said, apologising. I knew she meant it. "It's okay. I'm Evanna. From what I've gathered you have a certain idea about who I am."


	3. Chapter 3

**1076 – Ireland**

I watched as the man looked at me in terror. I smiled, relishing in his fear. I was his worst nightmare. Then I proceeded invading the man's mind, letting his fear come over me. He was scared, scared to die. I saw his life pass before my eyes. Brendan, that was his name. He was a farmer, had a wife and kids. Probably a genuinely nice guy from what I could gather. But I didn't care. I wanted to make him feel as miserable as I was feeling. I could sense his wonder, his fear and his regrets. He was asking himself why I was doing this. He pleaded me to stop, to spare his life. I shook my head. He was going to die, so I forced him to acknowledge his faith. "Please, don't do this." He begged. I never got a chance to beg. I never got a chance to acknowledge my faith. He should be grateful. This Brendan got more than I was ever given. Enough playing around. I bit him. The last thing that went through his mind before his life left him was regret. He wouldn't get to say goodbye. I knew how that felt. I never go to say goodbye, either.

And then it was over. I drained him of his blood and lighted his body on fire with my magic. His family would never know. I wiped my mouth from the blood and looked around. This place was nice. Green. Then I noticed I wasn't alone. I turned to face the stranger. Red hair, blue eyes. She looked pretty. I smiled at her. "Can I help you?" "You're hunting in my territory." The redhead snarled. Her territory? I raised my brow in question. She was a vampire, like my siblings. I didn't respond, I just observed her. I hadn't met another vampire. I wondered whether she was created. "You need to leave." The girl commanded. "I quite like it here." I said, waiting for her reaction. She attacked me and I let her. The moment her hand made contact with my neck, I knew what I needed to know. She was sired, by my brother. They could pass it down. Finn had given her his blood, then he had killed her. In order to become a vampire she had to feed from a human. Sage. Sage had begged my brother to turn her, even though he'd believed it was wrong. My brother had obviously found someone to spend his eternity with. He deserved it. I'd learnt enough. I didn't need to know about their intimacy. I pushed her off.

"If you don't leave, I'll have to kill you." "Don't be rude, Sage." She attacked me again. "How do you know my name?" This girl needed to learn some manners. I focused my mind and willed her blood to boil. She stopped dead in her tracks and screamed in agony. "Like I said, don't be rude." "Please, stop." She managed to say. I had to admire her strength. I did. The girl looked at me in disbelief. "How?" But before I could answer that Finn joined in.

"Evanna?" I turned to look at my oldest brother. "Long time no see, brother." He just stared at me. I couldn't blame him. By all means, I ought to be dead by now. "What happened to you?" Shock was evident in his tone. "I don't know. One day I woke up like this." "What about Killian?" I shook my head. "He's dead." My voice void of emotion. Finn walked up to me and pulled me in for a hug. "I'm sorry you became like this. It was not the faith I wished for you." I leaned into his embrace, forcing my emotions to remain in check. After a couple of moments he let go.

"Where's Mikael?" "I don't know. I took off after I became like this." "Did he do this to you?" "No. Finn, I'm not like you, I'm not a vampire. I still have my powers. I'm still in touch with my magic." I blurted out the truth. "Do the others know?" "I haven't seen them yet." Finn nodded. "This is Sage, but I take you already know everything about her." "I'm sorry about attacking you, I didn't know who you were." Sage said, apologising. I knew she meant it. "It's okay. I'm Evanna. From what I've gathered you have a certain idea about who I am." She smiled at me, a genuine smile. I looked from Sage to Finn and back and Sage. They seemed happy. Like I had once been. "Would you like to stay, Eva?" Finn offered. I thought it over. Maybe a vacation wouldn't be such a bad idea. Ireland seemed like a lovely place. "A little while won't hurt."

 **Present day – New Orleans**

"How about we start with a big 'I told you so.' Did you ever think that I may have had a reason to disrupt your search for the damn cure? Or how about the fact that you were all working together with my killers? You went to find the cure with the people responsible for the death of your beloved brother. All for the sake of rekindling old flames and whatnot. Or how about..." I tuned out of Kol's rambling. I knew he had a lot of grievances, but I'd heard them all before. Instead I poured myself a glass of wine and let my siblings argue. The only way we would be able to move forward was to put all our cards on the table. I agreed with Kol about the I told you so. Out of all my siblings, Kol was the only one who knew the truth about the past and about Caroline and Katerina. He knew the danger that Silas posed and the risks that came with the cure. But of course, like always, the others had been too damn stubborn for their own good. It was a quality we all shared. When my glass was empty, I decided that for now, it would do.

"Enough." I didn't raise my voice, but there was no need for it. Everybody quieted down. "A lot has happened over the past thousand years and we all have our faults. But, there are some things that we need to discuss first and we can go back to yelling at one another later, perhaps when we're all alive and kicking?" Slowly, each of them nodded. "This conversation isn't over. But, Evanna is right. There are other things that need to be discussed." Finn said. I looked at my oldest brother and suddenly realised that someone was missing.

"Where's Sage?" I asked, looking around, hoping to spot the redhead. "I don't know." I heard the worry in Finn's voice. I knew he hated being separated from her. As far as affection and love went, Sage meant everything to him. She'd made him feel less of a monster. Sage had shown him an alternative to the life he was leading. She'd shown him how to truly live. "She'll turn up." I said reassuringly, though I wasn't convinced, and neither was Finn. "I'm sure you'll run into her soon." Kol said while patting Finn on the back. We both knew very well that it might be weeks before they encountered each other again. "Can't you just call her or something? Or plan a date or agree on a meeting spot?" Nik proposed, oblivious to the truth. "Why didn't we think of that?" Kol's tone was dripping with sarcasm. "You think the Other Side is some paradise? All the dead gathered around a merry campfire, reminiscing about being alive?" Finn spit out. "I expected that there would be some disagreement and the occasional fight, but something along those lines. Something nice." I laughed at Nik's idea. "It's nice alright, if you're into flying solo. The Other Side is like this waste land. It's a mirror of this world and every now and then you can catch glimpses of the living. Sometimes it's for a couple of hours, other times it's merely a moment before it's gone. You can walk around for days, weeks, before running into another lost soul. It's lonely and depressing as hell. And you can't escape. You're stuck, wandering around, hoping to find someone who shares your faith. You're on the outside looking in, watching, listening. It's hell." "And now it's falling apart." Finn said. "Evanna said as much. Have you figured out anything more?" Elijah asked. "It's destabilised. Travelers." Kol informed. "Markos?" I asked and Kol nodded. "Still, it wouldn't explain everything. The anchor's still alive, as long as she is, so ought the Other Side." I nodded. "You're right. The fluctuations, the vortex, it can't be caused by them. Travelers don't have that kind of power." "I'm lost here." Rebekah said. I hadn't realised that the others had dropped out of the conversation, leaving me and Kol bouncing theories to one another. Looking at my siblings I realised that the others had also trouble grasping what Kol and I had been talking about.

"How much do you actually know about Qetsiyah?" I asked my siblings. "Only that she created an immortality spell and a cure for Silas." Rebekah said. "Qetsiyah is probably one of the most powerful witches to have ever walked this earth. She's also a tad bit crazy, but I have the highest respect for her. Qetsiyah didn't just create an immortality spell. She created the Other Side, or as I like to call it Supernatural Purgatory, in order to keep Silas from reuniting with his true love, Amara, in the Afterlife. A spell for creating the Other Side would need a powerhouse. She was able to create an entirely different realm, especially designed for dead supernatural beings, keeping them apart from the human afterlife. You can't just create something out of thin air. So, Qetsiyah needed to anchor her spell to this world. She found nothing better than to use the newly immortalised Amara. It's a faith worse than death. For two thousand years, every dead supernatural had to past through Amara to get to the Other Side. It hurts. Quite recently, Amara became mortal again and Qetsiyah needed a new anchor. The Mystic Falls gang thought nothing better than to ask Qetsiyah to bring their departed Bennett witch back as the anchor. Bonnie is now neither alive, nor dead. A switch like that, especially since it was performed by Qetsiyah, shouldn't cause any disturbance to the Other Side. Everybody got that?"

"One question, this Qetsiyah, is she alive?" Elijah asked. "No. She did come back briefly, ensuring her revenge on Silas and then killed herself." "Did someone bring her back?" "Qetsiyah did that herself. Bonnie dropped the veil, using the expression triangle in order to do so. Qetsiyah just walked through and came back to the land of the living." Kol said. "She can just do that?" Nik asked in disbelief. "She's a rock star. I doubt there's something she can't do. Besides, she created the Other Side, she can bend the rules however she wishes. I'm sure she's built in a safety net or something." "Why not contact this Qetsiyah, then?" Finn proposed. Kol and I exchanged a look. "She's extremely unpredictable and unreliable. Everything she has done has been to ensure that Silas and Amara remain separated through eternity." "And she's crazy, which makes her dangerous. Qetsiyah won't help us either, unless it's by her own choice and her own rules. Calling on her would be a bad idea. And if she wanted to help, she would've shown up already." I had to agree with Kol. "Alright. Now, what about these Travelers?" Elijah asked.

"Travelers are a cursed sub-culture of witches." Kol explained. "They are witches?" "Sort of. Witches are supposed to adhere to the Rede. They use their powers according to the laws of nature. Qetsiyah turned away from the Rede by creating the immortality spell. It went against what witches stood for. Traditional, conventional witches believe that the balance of nature should be kept. Travelers did not. They wanted to use their powers to do great things. Travelers were all for pure, unchecked, raw, powerful magic. After the whole debacle with Silas and Qetsiyah, there was a schism between those adhered to the Rede and those that didn't, even bigger than before. The conventional witches feared the powers of the Travelers and thus cursed them, with the help of the Spirits. The Spirits are the dead witches that can help their fellow living relatives out when they feel like it. It became impossible for Travelers to practice traditional forms of witchcraft and for them to gather as a tribe. They found a different way of practising magic through the use of passengers. They could take over another person's body and gather without witches noticing." "Does that make mother a Traveler?" I shook my head. "In order to become a Traveler you need to be born as one. Just because you don't adhere to the Rede you don't automatically become a Traveler. Travelers are cursed witches, unable to perform traditional magic. Esther was just an unconventional, renegade witch, still able to perform traditional magic."

"How come you two know so much about this?" Nik asked. "I've always had a soft spot for witches, brother. Unlike you, I actually like to get to know them and their secrets. I met some Travelers along the way. Never liked them, but I did learn some things about their lore." Kol said with a smile. It was no secret that he was drawn to witches. He had a respect for the powerful ones and would never cross a witch that could take him down. "I've been trying to find out what happened to me, I've met a lot of different people in my life. I even had a friend who was a Traveler. She told me everything I needed to know about Travelers and their organisation."

"There's one thing that's not clear to me. Who is Markos?" Elijah asked. "He's like the second most powerful Traveler, after Qetsiyah. But then Qetsiyah was banished from the group because she was a bit of an overachiever. That's why the Bennett witches aren't cursed. Her line continued on, producing powerful witches." "Is he alive?" Rebekah asked. I looked at Kol. "Don't look at me sister, I never met the guy." "As far as I know, he died in the sixth century." "Then he can't possibly be alive, right?" Rebekah concluded. "Who knows, Beks. Markos had a whole array of tricks, you should be surprised what he is capable of." Kol warned.

"Have you met him?" Nik asked. "Nik, he died in the sixth century, that's like four hundred years before I was even born. So no, I didn't meet the guy. I only heard stories about him." I was lying, but I hoped my siblings wouldn't be able to tell. I had performed some time travelling spells that hadn't always worked out as planned. But that wasn't something my siblings should know about.

"Now, to the main point of business. How are you planning on bringing us back, sister?" Kol turned the conversation aware, giving me a knowing look. "I don't know." I said truthfully. "I was hoping you might have some suggestions." "Mother also has a resurrection spell in her grimoire." Finn said. Elijah nodded in agreement. "Yes, but that requires a nexus vorti. And Eva will be needing two of them in order to bring both of you back." "Three, I'm not leaving Sage there." Rebekah suppressed a sigh at that. "What is it with my brothers and poor taste in women? Finn and his tawdry lady friend, Elijah and that bitch of a Petrova, Nik and his annoying blonde obsession and Kol and witches." "Have you ever considered, Beks, that maybe you're the problem? Eva never seemed to have much of a problem with our choices in woman." Kol countered. Rebekah wanted to say something, but Nik cut her off. "Sister, not now. We have important business to discuss. What is a nexus vorti?" "It's an extremely rare occurrence." Kol explained.

And that was the big problem of the spell. For the time being, there was only one I could think of, the birth of the miracle baby. And that was still a couple of months away. "What about the Bennett witch? She has brought the Gilbert boy back from the dead, twice. And Elena, if I recall correctly." Kol offered. "It might be worth checking it out." I had been planning on visiting Mystic Falls, anyways. A plan was starting to form in my mind.

"This might be premature, but what exactly is going to happen when we're all alive and together again?" Rebekah inquired. "Are we all going to pretend like nothing happened? As if Nik didn't keep us in coffins once in a while. Or that we are having a possible new addition to our family? And my darling Eva, had my ears deceived me or had you actually suggested that I was right?" Kol grinned. "Well, Kol, why don't you elaborate on your theory." I motioned for him to explain. "Have you ever considered that the little miracle baby may not be yours?" "I slept with the girl, brother. Who else could be the father? Besides, the witches confirmed it." It was clear that Nik wasn't having this discussion. Kol wouldn't be Kol if he wasn't annoyingly persistent. "The witches confirmed that the father was a hybrid. Everyone automatically assumed it was yours." "What are you suggestion, brother?" Elijah asked, putting a hand on Nik's shoulder, as if to keep him from jumping up and going all berserk. "There is another hybrid, Tyler Lockwood. And what if I were to tell you that I may have caught a glimpse of them, together, enjoying certain activities one likes to perform naked." "Are you saying that the little wolf tricked us?" It was a good thing both Elijah and Rebekah held Nik in his seat. "There's only one way to find out." Kol said, looking at me. "I'll perform the spell tomorrow. But Nik, you might want to consider it a possibility. Marcel couldn't cross the boundary I'd drawn from my blood. The spell that I cast was made to let those who shared my blood in. It may be an error, but I am not that sure of it." Nik shook his head, but was a little calmer. He didn't look like he was going to attack anyone anytime soon. "Tyler did try to kill the baby." I nodded. I'd caught a glimpse of that. "It's possible he doesn't know. Whatever the truth is, no harm shall come to Hayley as long as she is with child. I refuse to let an unborn baby pay for the mistakes of her parents. She deserves better." My tone made it obvious that the subject was not up for discussion.

"That is that. I'd like to establish some ground rules for when we are all back in the land of the living." Finn said, answering Rebekah's question. "Everybody is free to come and go as he or she pleases. There will be no threats of daggers looming over our heads. You will not ruin our happiness and you will not dictate our life." Finn continued. Everyone knew fully well that it was mostly intended for Nik. He nodded in agreement. "No tantrums, no scheming against each other. Those who wish to stay here, are free to do so. And we shall all live together peacefully." Elijah added. There was some more discussion on the how and what, but I didn't really follow. Instead, I sketched a rough outline of my plan in my head.

"I have a proposition." Everybody looked at me. "Just hear me out, no interruptions." I said, knowing that there would be some disgruntled family members. "Rebekah and I will head to Mystic Falls. She and I will talk to Bonnie Bennett and figure out what exactly is happening on the Other Side and what is going on with the Travelers. Elijah, you'll search for Esther's grimoire. I also need you to talk to Davina. Try to figure out as much as you possibly can about her resurrection and about the Harvest Ritual. Nik, you'll be using your charm on Genevieve. Get her grimoire, ask her more about the Harvest Ritual and how exactly Celeste managed to bring her back. I'll also need to know more about her particular kind of magic and about Papa Tundé. Ask her whether she knew a witch by the name of Valerie LaMarche and what she knows of expression. I'll need information about the New Orleans coven and how they operate. And I need to figure out a way how to tap into their ancestral magic. Any advantage or extra power source I can use, will hopefully boost my powers." They were silent for a moment, before all nodding. "Fine." They said in unison. I was surprised that they all agreed. No questions asked.

"Alright, Rebekah and I will be leaving tomorrow. Kol, could you get a message to the anchor, telling her to expect us. Make it clear that we are only there to get information, nothing more." Kol nodded. "I can do that, though I fear they might not trust me. Last time Bonnie and I stood face to face, I was trying to kill her. I'll try my best." "That's all I'm asking." We all sat there in silence for a while, each of us lost in thought. There were still a lot of things left unspoken. Even after a thousand years, after dying, I still couldn't tell them the truth. Not out of fear of them hating me, but mostly out of shame and not wanting them to pity me. We were all broken, and each of us made do with what we had. I loved my siblings and I would gladly lay down my life to save them. I didn't stay with Nik, Elijah and Bekah. I went out on my own, trying to find the truth. I visited them at least once a decade, but I kept an emotional distance. I never lost my humanity, but I kept my switch halfway on. I chose what I felt and my life was a lot easier that way. I'd made peace with what I became, I never pretended to be something I wasn't.

"It's getting early, unless there's anyone who needs to get something out, I suggest we put an end this gathering." Elijah suggested. "Sounds good to me. I need to start looking for Sage, anyway. Take care." "I have to go stalk the anchor. Eva, do your thing." I nodded. "I'll see you all soon. And when you see Sage, tell her I'll get her out of there, too."

I closed my eyes and focused on my magic.

" _Sanguinem sanguini, solvo te"_

I opened my eyes and both Finn and Kol were gone. I felt there loss. For over a year, they had been my companions on the Other Side, even if it had been sporadically and not quite often. But they had been there, with me. They understood. I took the stone out of the bowl and used my magic to turn it into a necklace. "You okay?" Bekah asked as I put the necklace around my neck. "It's weird. I'm here and they're still on the Other Side." Rebekah put an arm around me. "You'll get them back." Elijah said reassuringly. "I know." I said as I closed the circle and extinguished the candles. I put a hand on Nik's shoulder and squeezed it. "They'll forgive you." Nik covered my hand with his and looked at me. "I've done terrible things, Eva." "Haven't we all?" I met Nik's eyes. There was some sadness in it. "I'm sorry." Nik said, to no one in particular and walked away. Elijah, Beks and I looked at one another. "Give him some time. It's probably about the baby. He was actually starting to warm up to the idea." Elijah said, looking at Nik's retreating figure. "It wouldn't have redeemed him, Elijah. He'd still be the same. The only thing we would've seen was the gentler side of Nik, we lost so many centuries ago. He wouldn't have magically changed. He'd still be the broken, cruel, arrogant, Klaus he has become." "You don't believe that he can be redeemed?" Elijah asked. "I honestly have no idea. It's been a thousand years. Who knows how much is left of who we once were? We can't erase the things we done, we can only learn to live with them. How do we live, given what we know?" I asked, more to myself than to the others. "That's why you want to bring us all back together, isn't it?" Rebekah asked. I turned to look at her. "We're a family. Maybe it's not a bad idea to go back to where we started. Besides, with the battle that is coming, we're going to have to stand united." "Always and forever." Rebekah said. I smiled and nodded in agreement. "Always and forever." 

**1101 – Eastern Europe**

"So this is what you do for fun?" I was leaning against a doorframe, staring at my brother who had just drained the life out of some poor man. Kol looked at me in surprise. "Eva?" "Been having the time of your life?" I walked up to him and hugged him tight. "How?" Kol whispered as he pulled me close. "Wish I knew. I woke up like this." "Mikael didn't do this, did he?" I shook my head. "It wasn't him. I honestly have no idea how it happened." "How long have you been like this?" Kol said as he looked me up and down. "About a century. I met Finn a couple of decades ago. He's found himself a girl. She's awesome. I left a couple of years ago. Three's company. And I was getting fed up with Finn's moral code. ' _You can't just go on a killing spree whenever you feel like it Eva, you can't just kill anyone you want. There are consequences to your actions. '_ " Kol chuckled. "Who would've thought my little sister would turn out to be some vicious bloodsucking angel like her dear old brother?" "At least I clean up after myself." I lit the body of the dead man on fire. Kol yelped in surprise. Then he looked at me with wide eyes. "You still have access to your magic?" There was a bit of envy in his tone. I didn't blame him. He'd been the only one of my siblings to ever show an interest and aptitude in magic. Growing up, we'd played together with our magic, but mine had always been more powerful. It was what he missed most on becoming a vampire. "I'm not like you. I have search for decades, trying to find out what I am. But so far, I haven't found anything. I can't die, either. I need blood, but I can walk in the sun, touch verbena, I don't age. I'm immortal, like you, but I'm still a witch." "How about you go for, witch first, immortal second." I smiled at that. "I like that. Come on, I'm starving."

 **Present Day - Mystic Falls**

"Are you going to keep ignoring me?" Kol asked. Bonnie didn't react. "I'm not going anywhere. I have all the time in the world." Kol walked up and down the room. He'd been here for hours. First, he had to wait until she woke up. Then, when she'd finally woken up, she'd been in a really bad mood. Kol didn't blame her. It must suck to wake up by the pain of a dead supernatural passing through. He felt sorry for the girl. Of course, when playing with life and dead, there are always consequences. "If only you and your friends had listened to me. Then neither one of us would be finding ourselves in this predicament. Fortunately for me, I'll be getting out of mine soon, you on the other hand, well, forever is a long time. But, you listen to what I have to say and I might know someone who could help you out." It was a desperate attempt, but his sister might be able to help Bonnie out. After all, Evanna was pretty damn powerful. It scared him sometimes to know what she was able to accomplish. When Evanna Mikaelson wanted something, she got it. Finally, Bonnie looked at him. "That got your attention?" Kol grinned. "You know someone who can stop the pain?" "That I can't promise. She's been around for quite some time, she's picked up a few things." Kol didn't want to give too much away. He didn't know for sure that Eva would be able to help Bonnie. Bonnie was considering his offer. After five minutes of thinking it through, she slowly nodded in agreement. "Fine, what do you want?" "My sister is coming to Mystic Falls. She has some questions she need to ask you, concerning Travelers and the Other Side. She'll probably arrive the day after tomorrow." "How do you know that? Did they send you?" Kol was enjoying this. "Yes, I was asked to inform you that they would be coming. I also needed to emphasise that they mean you no harm. They just want answers." "Rebekah isn't coming alone?" "She's bringing a friend. My brothers will remain in New Orleans, they have some things they need to do over there." Bonnie nodded. "Just give me some time to decide."

Kol came back in the morning. He figured that Bonnie had informed her friends. They would probably be setting up a trap. Unfortunately for the Mystic Falls Gang had no idea who they were up against. Evanna loved to play games and they were no match for his two sisters. "I'll meet them in the Mystic Grill, the day after tomorrow. Let's say around five?" Kol nodded. "I'll tell the others. Take care, Bonnie Bennett."

 **Present Day – New Orleans**

I had been lying in bed for over an hour and I just couldn't fall asleep. After all, it had been five years since I last lay down and closed my eyes. The Other Side doesn't let you sleep. Or it doesn't make you feel tired. I got up and made my way towards my sister's room. "Beks?" I whispered. "Can't sleep?" "Nope." I said as I made my way towards her bed. "Just like the old day." Rebekah said as I climbed in bed next to her. "Do you think Nik is going to be okay?" I asked in a small voice. "Eventually, yes." I nodded. "I missed you." "I missed you, too, Eva. Now get some sleep. We're have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow." Rebekah said, using her big sister voice. "Can you tell me a story?" Rebekah smiled but indulged me nonetheless. "Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom…" It didn't take long for me to fall asleep. For the first time in a long time, I slept peacefully, knowing that my big sister was watching over me.


	4. Chapter 4

**New Orleans – Present day**

I woke up feeling disoriented. It took me a couple of moments to realise that I was in New Orleans, and that I was alive. I was lying in Rebekah's bed, but my sister wasn't there. I focused on my hearing and could hear the shuffling around the kitchen. I got out of the bed and made my way toward the kitchen. "Good morning." Nik said, in an unusually happy mood. "Are you making pancakes?" I asked in disbelief as I watched Nik shuffle around the kitchen. "Thought I'd give it a try." "Don't mind Nik, he's in denial." Rebekah said as she handed me a cup of coffee. "Denial?" I asked, looking at Rebekah. ' _The baby'_ she mouthed. "I'm not in denial, Rebekah, I'm enjoying my newfound freedom." Nik defended himself. "Whatever you say, brother." Elijah said as he walked into the kitchen. Hayley filed in after him.

"Elijah said that you could perform a spell to protect my baby, would you?" Hayley asked. I looked at Elijah. He just motioned for me to go with it. "Sure. I'll just be needing some of your blood." Hayley looked at Elijah for reassurance. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes at that. Desperate much? For crying out loud, the little wolf would never be good enough for Elijah. Besides, she was only a distraction for Elijah. Elijah nodded at her and Hayley walked up to me. "Do what you've got to do." That was easy. I took a knife and sliced it across her palm. I covered her hand with mine and called on my magic. Through Hayley's blood I was able to figure out the baby's lineage. And it wasn't from the Mikaelson clan. I wondered whether Hayley was aware of the truth. My curiosity was awakened, so I decided to read the girl's mind. I closed my eyes and slipped into her mind. A couple of minutes later, I pulled back. "All done." I smiled sweetly at her. "Just like that?" Hayley asked in disbelief. "I am a very capable witch, Hayley. I know perfectly well what I am doing." I even went through the trouble of closing her wound. "Thank you." It was obviously very difficult for Hayley to get those words out. "My pleasure." I said with a big grin.

I went to sit on the counter, grabbing a couple of Nik's pancakes. I took a bite of one of them. "Holy shit, Nik. These are actually delicious." "Of course they are, thanks for the trust." "Anytime." I said with a wink.

"Argh." Bekah shouted as she shut the fridge door. I turned around and saw Kol standing there. "I didn't even say booh." Kol said with disappointment. "Kol?" Bekah asked, raising her hand to see whether he was corporeal. "Booh?" Kol said as Beks hand just went through him. "You're hilarious." "How is this even possible?" Elijah asked, standing next to Rebekah. Everyone looked at me. I bit my lip, trying to figure out what may have gone wrong. I went through my improvised spell. "Oops." I said as I realised what I may have done. "What did you do?" "I may have - sort of - bound you to the Ametrine." "Like permanently?" I shook my head. "It was the phrasing of the spell. I said _Tenetur in sanguinem_ , bound by blood. It's not exactly a binding spell, per se. You're just visible to those whose blood was spilled on the stone. I think." "That's a good thing, then, because I would love to know who the baby daddy is." Kol said while leaning against the fridge door. "You were right." I said while keeping an eye on Nik to gauge his reaction. Once the words were out of my mouth, both Elijah and Rebekah did the same. But Nik just ignored it and continued baking pancakes. "Nik, does this means I'll be getting waffles upon my return?" "Kol." Elijah warned. "Weren't you supposed to be hanging out with an anchor?" Nik said as he put some more pancakes on my plate.

"Who are we talking to?" Hayley asked, glancing around the room. "Just our dearly departed brother. You're interrupting a family meeting. Move along, little wolf." There was a lot of hostility in Nik's voice, but I was surprised by the fact that he didn't attack her outright. Looking at my siblings, I realised that so were they. Hayley was taken aback by Klaus' hostility, but she heeded his advice and left. "How did it go with Bonnie?" "She's agreed to a meeting at the Mystic Grill. Bonnie's expecting you around five tomorrow, though I believe it's a trap." I got off the counter to get another cup of coffee. "At least we'll have some fun."

After breakfast, I dragged Elijah out with me to settle the bill at Nandi's Specials. "Are you going to give me one of your cards?" I asked as Elijah and I walked through the French Quarter. "What?" "I'm going shopping with Bekah later. I'll be needing money." I explained. "Don't you have your own account?" "Elijah, I've been dead for the past five years. My assets are all gone. I can just go ahead and compel the salespeople, but that would be so unethical. They could get in trouble." I always knew how to play my cards with my siblings. Elijah was the business man of the family. He had his share of stocks and had a lot of money in several off shore accounts. Elijah took out his wallet and gave me one of his many credit cards. "If it's empty, I might just kill you myself." "Have a little faith." I said before walking into the shop.

"Evanna, back again?" Then Nandi noticed Elijah. "I see you're here to settle the bill. Mr. Mikaelson that will be two thousand and two hundred dollars, if you please." Elijah looked at me in disbelief. "Two thousand two hundred? Did you buy an herbal garden or something?" "I needed some rare items." I defended. Elijah sighed, but paid Nandi nonetheless. "Have you ever used Ametrine before?" I inquired. She might offer an explanation. "I can't say I have, though I've heard that it is very powerful, especially in combination with blood. What happened?" "I may have, accidently, half bound the ghost to the stone. The spirit is still able to come and go as he pleases, but he's visible to other people." Nandi nodded. "This place looks lovely. Is that LaMarche's daughter?" Kol suddenly popped into the store. "I can sense the ghost. There seems to be a connection, but the stone is only the catalyst. It's the blood that ties it all together." "So the stone enhances the effect?" Kol asked. I repeated the question. "It appears so." "Thanks Nandi. What did Sophie want, if I may ask." "She was here to inquire about some strange magic she felt. Any relations to the Deveraux clan, Eva?" I felt Elijah staring at me. "Not that I know of." "You think she may know something about your sudden return, Eva?" Elijah asked. I shrugged. "I doubt it. It wouldn't hurt to ask. It's a good thing she's here." I turned around at the exact moment Sophie Deveraux walked back into the store.

"Elijah." Sophie said in surprise. It was obvious that she'd hoped that the Originals were unaware of the existence of this shop. "Sophie Deveraux, right? I'm Evanna Jones." I said as I held out my hand. Sophie hesitantly shook it. "Nandi mentioned that you felt some magic yesterday. It may have been around the same time of my arrival. Can you tell me some more about it?" I threw in some suggestion. This was one of the perks of being an immortal witch, I could compel witches. "Yeah, it just seemed weird." "Weird how?" I asked, throwing some more compulsion into it. She was a strong witch with a strong personality. "You'll probably think I'm crazy or something, but it felt as if some ancient power had moved heaven and earth to make something happen. To bring goodness and light back in this world. Maybe an angel coming back to save us all from the darkness." She was right it sounded crazy. I heard a chuckle from behind me. Kol was doubled over from laughter. "Our little avenging Angel, coming from heaven. That's a good one." Kol said when he finally recovered from his laughter. "Kol." Elijah warned. "Come on, 'Lijah, it's hilarious. Evanna an angel? A devil is more like it." "I remember you calling me an angel once, so many centuries ago." I said with a smirk. "True, true." Kol agreed.

Sophie and Nandi were obviously confused. "I have a feeling you're a lot closer to the Mikaelson's than you let on, Eva." Nandi observed. "For many centuries now." "What are you?" Sophie asked me. "Have you ever read Oscar Wilde?" I asked. I was getting real tired of that question. Sophie looked at me in question. "What does he has to do with this?" "He was an ass, but a genius ass nonetheless. He once wrote _to define is to limit._ " Sophie still didn't get it. "What Eva means to say is that she is, what is it that Kol always says…" Elijah looked at Kol. "Witch first, immortal second." Elijah repeated the same words. "How?" Sophie asked. "I don't know." I said as I walked around the shop, looking for something interesting.

"She's quite something, isn't she?" Nandi said to Elijah. "You have no idea. How did you two meet, if I may ask?" "She killed my mother." Elijah turned to look at me. "What? She was asking for it." The silly woman had it coming. No one used expression without consequences. "Eva, we have talked about this before." "I am what I am, Elijah. I own up to it, maybe it's time you do that too." I hit a sore note with Elijah. I saw the hurt on his face. Way to go, Eva. I walked back towards my brother. "I'm sorry, Elijah." I said sincerely. "So am I." "And now we hug it out." Kol said as he tried and failed to push the two of us together. "Being dead sucks." Kol sighed when he couldn't touch us. "Soon, brother dear, soon." I said. "Let's hope it doesn't kill you in the process, Eva." "I'm immortal, Elijah." But as soon as the words left my mouth, I realised that I did die. Of course, that had been on my own terms, but I couldn't tell the others. They wouldn't understand. And in all honesty, part of me didn't understand either. It had been a spur of the moment kind of thing, I guessed. Or maybe there was a lot more to it than I remembered. The details were a bit fuzzy. "Then what happened five years ago? You taking a vacation on the Other Side? From what I've gathered it's not somewhere one goes voluntarily." I heard the anger and hurt in my brother's voice. I guess losing me had been more of a shock than I originally believed. I thought my siblings would be able to deal with it, I mean it's not like we were constantly together. I spent most of my time searching for answers. I occasionally visited my siblings, but I was more interested in getting my husband and child back, or finding out what had happened to me in the first place. "Can we not talk about it?" "When, Eva? For a thousand years you have refused to talk about any of this and we went along with it. You lost Killian, you lost Kyra, and we are none the wiser about who did this to you. I love you, Eva and I would do anything in my power to protect you. But, for once in your life, stop lying to us and more importantly, to yourself. You are not okay, you push us all away and at the same time, you want to bring us back together. We'd go to the end of the earth for you, so why won't you tell us what's wrong?" I took a step back. It had been the first time that in many years since I've heard Elijah raise his voice like this. He wasn't angry, it was frustration. I bit my lip. Where was I to start? I knew I had hurt my siblings by not confiding in them, but they didn't need to know the burden that I was carrying. It wasn't their destiny. And yet, at the same time, I wanted to confide in them. I wanted someone to tell me that I wasn't bad, that I could still be redeemed. That everything was going to be okay and that we would get through this. So, I opened my mouth to say something to Elijah, but no words came out. I couldn't get the words over my lips.

Elijah put his arms around me. "It's okay, Eva." He whispered. And that's when I broke down. Five years of loneliness and an even longer time of running came crashing over me. I let Elijah comfort me and tell me that it was going to be okay, when in reality, it was only just beginning. It felt nice. "We'll get through this, Eva." Kol said when I'd finally stopped crying. I took a moment to gather myself, shuffling my humanity switch around and putting it back in its place: half on-half off. Once my emotions were back in check, I turned towards my brothers. "One day, I'll tell you. I promise." And that was all I could give them, a promise that one day, they'd know the truth. For now, they accepted it.

I could see Sophie and Nandi trying to put everything together. "You're a Mikaelson?" Sophie was the first to voice her new findings. "Technically I'm Mikael's daughter. Last names were non-existent in the tenth century. In case you were wondering, I'm the seventh child of Esther. I'm the youngest one still alive, and the second to youngest overall, Henrik was the youngest." "They didn't turn you into a vampire, why?" Sophie asked. "Because I was pregnant at the time. For all Esther's faults, she didn't want to condemn her granddaughter. Alas, faith had other plans." "What happened?" Nandi joined the conversation. "I could tell you, but what's the point? It's not like you'll remember any of this." I was planning on making them forget what had happened. After a thousand years, you learn to be very careful on who you let in on your secrets. I only trusted my family, Sage, Katerina and Caroline. "We're witches and on vervain. You can't compel us. And how did they even managed to keep you a secret for a thousand years?" "Please, I could have you doing my bidding without blinking an eye. I'm an immortal witch, dearie." Sophie took a defensive stance. I grinned at her. "Forget." I said. I didn't need to say anything, the kind of compulsion I used was more about erasing certain things from the mind. It was different than what vampires do. Vampires can compel you to not remember things, but the memory still exists. What I do is erasing the memory completely, there is no possible way for them to remember because they can't recall it ever taking place.

"I need a drink." It was almost one and I was meeting Rebekah and Rousseau's in an hour. The beauty of being an immortal witch is that I didn't need a clock to know the time. I just knew. "Rousseau's?" Elijah suggested. We bid our goodbyes to both witches and made our way to Rousseau's.

I walked in and chose a seat at the bar. Time to meet Nik's newest blonde friend. Elijah sat down next to me. Cami smiled at me and greeted Elijah. "Cami, how have you been?" "Quite alright, what can I get you and your new friend?" Cami's tone implied that she was wondering what kind of supernatural I was, but didn't dare ask it straightaway. "Cami, this is Eva, she's an old friend. Eva, this is Cami." Elijah had already guessed that I didn't need any more information on the girl. "Nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you." I hadn't heard anything about her, I'd only seen flashes of her and none of them made me like her very much. Like Hayley, Cami was just a replacement for the real thing. "Hi, I can't say the same. So, uhm, what can I get you?" "I'll have a bourbon, please, no ice. And can I get some gumbo?" I hadn't had gumbo since forever. "I'll have the same." Elijah said from the seat next to me.

"I have the feeling you don't like her very much." "And I tried so hard to hide it." I pouted. It was just that moment that Cami put down our drinks. "How's Klaus?" Elijah and I looked at one another. "He's.." Elijah trailed, not knowing what to say. "He's making cupcakes." Rebekah said as she sat down in the vacant seat next to me.. "He's baking?" Cami asked in disbelief. "And you're back. I thought he would kill you if you did." Rebekah smiled sweetly at Cami. "I'm still his sister." Her tone implied that she didn't care much for this girl either. "Have you seen Nik? He's making cupcakes with frosting and all. It's hilarious. Now I really wish I was alive, just to taste his cooking." Kol said from behind us. For the second time today, Kol was doubled over in laughter. "Frosting?" Elijah asked, sounding confused. "It's what they put on top of cupcakes." Rebekah explained. "Maybe he's taking the baby thing not so well." Elijah concluded. "Leave him be. It's better than having him go on a killing spree, right? Besides, his pancakes were heavenly this morning. Maybe we can take the cupcakes with us for on the road?" Rebekah nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me. Did you get some money?" "Elijah's funding our shopping spree." I heard Elijah groan, knowing fully well that after today, his account would be losing a large amount of money. We ate our gumbo and then Elijah decided to head home to keep an eye on Nik while Rebekah and I went shopping.

"You can put that over there, Joshua." I said as I entered the plantation house. I liked this place a whole lot better than the Abattoir, it didn't have its deadly feel. "I can't remember having this much fun shopping in ages." Rebekah said as she sat down in one of the sofas. "You tell me. Joshua, do you care for a drink?" The baby vampire seemed really nice. From the Other Side, I'd caught flashes of him and knew that he was friends with Davina. He'd seemed like a genuine, stand-up guy. I'd made him a daylight ring, after asking Beks and Elijah for advice on the matter. She'd said that he was loyal and Elijah had mentioned that his friendship with Davina might come in handy. "No thank you. Is there anything else I can do?" Rebekah laughed. "You gave him a ring and now he's willing to serve you for eternity. You didn't even have to say I do." I sent a glare towards my sister before turning to Josh. "It's alright, Josh. You don't owe me anything. I know what it's like to be denied the pleasure of feeling the warmth of the sun on my face." "Thank you very much, Eva. If there is ever anything I can do for you, just let me know." I nodded. "I will do that. Now, go and enjoy your freedom. And if Marcel or Nik askes where you got it, tell them you got it from Evanna. They won't dare harm you." "Thanks again. Rebekah, Eva, enjoy the rest of your night." And Josh sped out of the room.

Rebekah and I enjoyed a comfortable silence. We had shopped until we dropped. And now, here we were. I sighed contentedly. Today had been a relatively good day. "So, when are we leaving?" Rebekah asked after a couple of minutes. "We still have time. Somewhere later tonight? I'd like to say goodbye to the others first." "Alright then. Maybe we should grab our things and head back." I got up from the couch and grabbed everything. "You think Nik made dinner?" "I would be disappointed if he didn't."

When Rebekah and I entered the Abattoir, we were met by a wide array of smells. "Ladies, how was your shopping trip? Did you deplete Elijah's account?" Kol asked as we made our way towards the kitchen. "I hope you didn't." "I told you to have some faith, 'Lijah." I handed him back the credit card. In return he handed me an envelope. "I set up an account for you with your own money. Look at it as a trust fund." "Am I going to get that when I get back?" Kol asked, sounding genuinely curious about it. "We'll just wait and see." Elijah shrugged.

Nik was setting the table. "Dinner will be served in five." Nik announced. "It sure smells great. What did you make?" Rebekah, Elijah and I sat down at the table. "Red beans and rice, one of the original New Orleans recipes." Nik added with a wink. He placed a really large casserole on the table. "Who else is joining us?" Rebekah's question didn't need answering, because Marcel, Davina, Josh and Cami just walked in. Josh waved at me enthusiastically, I smiled back at him. Marcel introduced me to Davina. I could feel her unease. It was clear to me that she didn't really know what to make of me. I noticed Hayley wasn't here and voiced it. "She's at the bayou." Elijah said, not being able to keep his disappointment out his voice. I knew it was because he believed that the baby could redeem Nik, but I still called bullshit on that. What he needed wasn't some baby, but a certain blonde I would hopefully be seeing soon. I'd missed her, it had been so very, very long. "Bon appetite."

There were several conversations going on. Josh and Davina were chatting away, Cami, Marcel and Nik were talking about Nik's newest transfixion on cooking. Elijah and Rebekah were talking about the plantation house. I joined Bekah and Elijah, trying to convince him to move back there. "I don't like it here. There's so much dead." I pouted. "Why don't we discuss this when you get back." "Fine." The rest of dinner passed this way, peacefully and relaxed, like it was the most normal thing in the world. It made me wish for Kol, Finn, Sage, Katerina and Caroline to be here. It would be a real family dinner. I also wished for my father to be here, but I knew that he was gone and that bringing him back would be a very bad idea.

"Thanks for this fine dinner, brother. It was truly excellent." I could only agree with Elijah wholeheartedly. It had been so good. "There's still dessert." We cleaned the table and Nik took the dessert out. "Beignets. You're spoiling us, Nik." I said as Nik put them on the table. "Only the best for you, Eva." He said while patting me on the head. Cami left after dessert, much to mine and Rebekah's joy. The others stayed for a long time. I had to admit, I had missed Marcel. Not as much as I had missed my siblings, but he had a certain charm. Davina had been rather quiet, but sometimes I could see the passion in her eyes when she spoke with Josh about her love for art. If only she didn't dislike Nik so much, he could actually teach her some things. And Josh, well, he was a good guy and a great dinner guest. He knew how to entertain people. We remained seated for a very long time, it was already way past midnight when Davina made the first signs to leave. I had talked to her about magic for a while, telling her that I would love to work with her once I got back, if she was interested. Davina said that she didn't really know what to do. It was clear that something was troubling her, but I didn't know what it was. I knew she had only recently returned from being sacrificed for the Harvest, but I got over my death fast enough. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to continue using her magic and I got where she was coming from. It was up to her to decide. Josh followed not long after Davina left.

I leaned back in my seat and caught Rebekah's eye. "I guess Beks and I are going to take off, too." I had to make a stop along the road, making our travel time longer than fifteen hours. "You're already leaving?" Marcel asked. "I've got things to do, Marcel. Don't worry, we'll be back." Nik handed me a bag with cupcakes. "You'll be okay, right?" I whispered quietly, not that it mattered, the others heard it anyway. "Don't worry about me, Eva. I've managed myself for the past thousand years, it won't be any different." I wasn't entirely convinced, but I've long given up on trying to change my brother's mind. Elijah pulled me in for a hug. "Promise me you won't kill anyone, Eva." Of course, that's what Elijah would be concerned with. I didn't have the best track record, I admit, but still, I wasn't a cold blooded killer. At least not anymore. I was trying to mend my ways. I sighed, but promised it nonetheless. "I promise I won't kill anyone." I could still hurt them without the killing.

Five minutes later, Rebekah and I were in the car and she had agreed to let me drive. "You do realise that you're going to the bayou right?" "I know, I just need to talk to the little wolf." I pulled up and got out of the car. I asked Bekah to stay there and wait. It was very early in the day, but I felt the eyes of the wolves on me. They didn't attack me, but they wouldn't hesitate if I were to hurt Hayley in any way. I easily located her, she was sitting on the porch of one of the houses. "Evanna?" She sounded confused. "Nik knows." I said as I sat down next to the girl. "You didn't use a spell to protect my baby, did you? It was all to determine whether or not Klaus was the father." "Look at you, putting two and two together."

"What do you want?" Hayley asked when I didn't leave. "You're daughter." She looked at me in shock. "What are you going to do with her?" I felt bad for what I was about to do. "She deserves better. As soon as she is born, she'll leave New Orleans. I know someone who can protect her and keep her safe from what is coming." "You're not going to take my daughter away from me." Hayley was standing now, glaring at me. The wolves were backing her up. Silly, silly wolf, she was no match for me. I got up. "Listen to me, little wolf, your daughter is about to be the first born hybrid. Do you have any idea how many people are going to come after her? How many people are going to want to use her for personal gain? I want to protect her from that. I want to give her a normal life, far away from the supernatural." "You think I don't? You have no idea what I've been through. Besides, she would've been safe if she had been under the protection of the Originals, but you went ahead and ruined that. I'm going to protect her, I can take care of her. Just because you don't know what it's like to have a child growing inside of you, doesn't mean that you're not getting my daughter." I had to admire her audacity. And her foolishness. "I know, I know what it's like to have a tiny living thing growing inside your body, I know what it's like to give birth and I also know what it's like to have your child ripped away from you. I am well aware of what I'm asking you to do. But, tell me something, Hayley, don't you think your daughter should be safe? Don't you want her to have the best chance at survival? I know someone who will protect her, who will make sure that no harm will come to her and who can disappear without leaving a trace." "I don't want to give up my daughter." Hayley whined. "You'll have to. I can't promise you that you will ever see her again, that depends on how things develop. But I can promise you that your daughter will live a happy life and she'll be safe." I felt sorry for the girl. In all honesty, she didn't deserve to have her baby taken away from there. Sure, I was angry with her and I disliked her a lot, but losing her baby wasn't something I'd wish upon anyone. "You should leave. You're not getting my daughter." "Fine. But I'll let you in on a little secret, I always get what I want. And in a couple of months from now, that baby of yours will be safe and sound. Without you." I heard the shuffling of the wolves, preparing to attack. With one little pull at my magic, the wolves froze in mid-action. Hayley's eyes widened. "You do not want me as your enemy, Hayley, so don't make me one. I know fully well the sacrifice I'm asking you to make, but if I were you and I knew that I could save my child, I would rather give her up so she gets to live than having her die before she even reaches adulthood. And even if you attempt to run, I will find you. I have a thousand years of knowledge at my disposal. I can easily do a tracking spell." I turned away, leaving Hayley to make of it what she wants. I got into the car next to Rebekah and drove away, releasing the hold I had on the wolves.

I know what I had seen, and if there was one thing I knew for sure, was that I could trust my visions. One way or another they will come true. And I did not want this miracle baby involved in the battle that was to come.

 **Mystic Falls – Present Day**

"They can't just come and go whenever they feel like it. This is our town." Elena uttered. Bonnie had informed the others of the coming of Rebekah and her friend. They were at the Salvatore's, discussing their plan. Everyone was there, including Enzo, Liv and Luke Parker. "There's no way you're going to be meeting them." Damon said. "If Liv comes with me, it won't be a problem." Bonnie said. "How come they even know of the existence of the Travelers? And how did they communicate with Kol?" Tyler asked. "There are a lot of witches in New Orleans." "Last time I was there, they were having problems with establishing peace with the witches. Besides, they don't want people to know that Kol is dead. It means that the Originals aren't invincible." Tyler countered Stefan. "Kol mentioned that he knew a witch who might be able to help me out. Maybe it's the same witch?" "You think she'd be playing the field? No witch would be stupid enough to cross the Mikaelsons." Damon said. "And if it's the same witch, she'd be pretty damn powerful." Elena concluded.

After much discussion, they decided that Damon and Liv would be meeting Rebekah and her friend. The others would be on their way to the Gilbert's lake house and stay there until the coast was clear. Liv would be able to stop the witch from using her magic and Damon would delay Rebekah.

 **Mystic Falls – tenth century**

I always loved walking in the woods, searching for herbs. I was looking for wolfsbane, something that wasn't easy to find around here. I had just found some when I felt a very powerful blast of magic. It was coming from somewhere deeper in the woods. I ran to the place where the magic had originated. "Any other great ideas, Katherine?" "Please, Blondie, this will work out. We just need to figure out where exactly we are." I had reached the place and I saw two girls standing in a small clearing. One was blonde, the other looked familiar. There was something strange about the two of them. Their clothes were weird and they were giving off a strange vibe. My witch senses told me that they may not be human. The brunette looked an awful lot like Tatia, but I just knew that this girl wasn't her. "Hi." They both turned to look at me. The brunette stepped closer to me. "Hello, my name is Katherine and you're going to tell me where I can find Elijah Mikaelson." What did she want with my brother? "What do you need from Elijah?" The brunette didn't seem pleased. Before I could blink the girl had me up against a tree while choking the life out of me. I could barely breathe, so I did the only thing that I could and I used my magic. She let go and I slumped to the ground. The blonde was standing next to me, holding out her hand. "Hey, are you okay?" I looked at her in confusion, but accepted her hand anyway. It was then that I got a better understanding into who they were. Image flashed through my mind. They were something called vampires, immortals who need blood in order to survive. And they weren't from this time either. They had come from the future. Once I was up, I immediately let go of her hand, not wanting to experience anymore of the girl's images. "I'm Caroline. You'll have to excuse Katherine for being a bit tactless. She isn't very patient when she doesn't immediately get what she wants." I was trying to determine whether I could trust her. She seemed sincere. "I'm Eva." I turned to Katherine. "If you ever try that again, I'll do much worse than this. How did you get here, anyway?" Katherine glared at me, but she didn't try anything else. Caroline looked at Katherine, but both were obviously having trouble with coming up with a story. I smiled. "You'll have to work on that. So far, I know you're not witches, so you couldn't possibly be the source of the power that has passed through this place. I also know that you're something called vampires. Never heard of that, to be honest. And I know you're not from this time. So, I'll ask again, how did you get here and more importantly why are you here?" I put some more force to my tone in order to get them to answer. I tried to stand a bit taller, too. It wasn't easy for me, considering that I was just a fifteen year old girl and nowhere near as physically strong as the ones standing in front of me. "Great, of all the places we could end up, we're with a freaking witch who can read minds." Katherine complained. "I didn't read your mind, my mother told me that it was rude. I just happened to receive some flashes when Caroline helped me up. And I'm not very patient either." Caroline seemed to get what I was playing at. "Here's the thing, Eva. A friend of ours, a Bennett witch, sent us back here in order to stop certain events from unfolding. And we sort of need help from Elijah. Oh, and could you maybe tell us when and where we are?" I laughed. "Let me get this straight, you have a friend who's a Bennett witch and you don't know when she sent you to? As far as my experience with Bennett witches go, they're pretty damn powerful. But hey, we're somewhere around the year thousand and you're in the New World." Katherine and Caroline looked troubled. "Well, I hate to say it, but I told you so." Caroline said. "May I remind you that it's your witch. And you happily agreed to go back in time to stop the big bad evil hybrid from finding out about the stupid cure and Silas. Besides, we're only off by a century or so?" Silas, that name had a familiar ring to it. "Yeah, but why did we end up here?" I cleared my throat. "You said you were looking for Elijah, right? Elijah lives in this time, he'd probably be dead by next century, so maybe that's why you ended up here?" Both girls turned to look at me. "Can you take us to him?" I shook my head. "Again I ask, why do you need Elijah?" Katherine took a step closer to me. "Listen you little witch, my business with Elijah is none of your concern. So tell me where I can find him or..." Caroline pulled Katherine back. "Kat, maybe we should take this slow. She never heard of vampires, you do realise what that means right?" Katherine seemed to understand what Caroline was implying. I, on the other hand, was at loss. "I have no idea what you're talking about." "You said you know a Bennett witch, could you take us to her?" Caroline asked. I shrugged. What was the harm in bringing them to Ayanna? "Fine, but I still need to get some wolfsbane on our way there." I led the way towards Ayanna's house. She was waiting at the door with a stern look on her face.

"I think someone's in trouble." Katherine whispered to me. "It wasn't me?" I tried to sound innocently. "Don't try me, Evanna. I told you to get wolfsbane, not go exploring a powerful magical outburst. You are a going to be an extremely powerful witch someday, Eva, but you shouldn't run off on your own like that. Especially when it concerns magic of a Bennett witch." Caroline carefully stepped forward. "Hello miss Bennett, my name is Caroline Forbes, this is Katherine Pierce." I noticed how they hadn't entered the house yet. I remembered another image from Caroline. She had to be invited in. "Call me Ayanna, and please, do come in." We all entered her little house. "Eva, could you be so kind as to warm some tea?" I headed over to her stove and put on a kettle to make some tea. "So, Caroline and Katherine, how did you get here?" "Time travelling spell? It kind of went wrong. We were supposed to end up a century past this one." Caroline quickly recapped how they ended up here. Ayanna noticed they weren't human, so she asked about that too. Meanwhile I put the tea out for everyone. As they were explaining, something suddenly dawned upon me. "You asked for Elijah before you knew when you were. You thought he was going to be there, one hundred years from now. He should be dead. Unless..." As I was putting it all into words I realised what this all meant. The looks on Caroline's and Katherine's faces confirmed my suspicions. My eyes locked with Ayanna. I shook my head. "You said it wasn't possible. You told me it was just a dream. You told me that it wouldn't happen. Not after Qetsiyah. It was only supposed to be a dream." I was losing it. This couldn't be real. I had dreamt about my family turning into monsters. Becoming vampires, as they were supposedly called. Doomed to wander this world for eternity, preying on humans for their survival. "Evanna, calm yourself. I only said it was improbable. As it turns out, someone else created a new spell. This is not the same one as Qetsiyah's. It was not done by a Bennett witch." I didn't want to hear it. "It doesn't matter. I will stop this. I can't let this happen. They are not going to become monsters. This can't happen." I shook my head and I felt myself falter. I felt my control shatter and the world around me started to shake violently. I saw the dark veins under my siblings' eyes. Their eyes growing dark as they were consuming human blood. I suddenly felt a sting on my cheek and I snapped back into control. Katherine was standing in front of me. "Listen to me, little witch, now is not the time for you to lose control. Besides, being vampires isn't all that bad. And don't worry about Elijah, he manages himself quite fine. Funny he never mentioned you, though." I had to admire her audacity. With my power's back in check, I glared at the vampire standing in front of me. "You do know I could kill you, right?" She smiled. "But you won't." "Enough of this. Let's sit down and talk about this." Ayanna ordered and we both did as she said. "You will hold your tongue about this, Evanna." Ayanna said in a warning tone. I almost argued with her, but I understood the importance of keeping it a secret. "You have to be careful about what you will say when you are here, Caroline and Katherine. It would not be wise to let anything slip. And that includes about you knowing Elijah or how vampires came to this world." I opened my mouth the argue, but Ayanna cut me off. "You know very well that time isn't something that a witch can just ignore. Certain things have occurred before and it will not do to meddle with that. I hope you understand the importance this, Evanna." I slumped back in my seat. I knew she was right, but I just didn't want my visions to become reality. "You expect me to let everything run its course? Who's to say that the future hasn't already changed because they are here?" Ayanna shook her head. "Everything happens for a reason. Now, Katherine, we'll need to do something about your appearance." By changing the subject, Ayanna had masterfully managed to keep me from discussing this more. And of course, Katherine couldn't go around looking like she was Tatia's twin. "How is it that she looks like Tatia?" I couldn't help myself. I was a very curious person, and I wound up getting in trouble because of it most of the time. "I believe it will be best if we do not discuss that." Caroline said. Ayanna performed an easy spell to change people's perception of Katherine's appearance. Only those that knew how she truly looked could see her as she was. "I don't see any change." Caroline whispered softly. "Do not doubt, people will not perceive her as Tatia. Now, all we need is a story for the both of you." Ayanna looked at me expectantly. Great, she wouldn't let me stop my siblings from being turned into monsters, but coming up with some story was something I had to do. "Well, we'll need something to explain their accents. How about they travelled from the Old World and they're staying with you because there are some troubles in their hometown? Isn't there a Bennett branch there or something?" I proposed. Ayanna smiled kindly at me for the first time tonight. "I guess we can do that. After all, the two of you will be staying here until I figure out a way to send you back to your own time. You might want to change clothes too. I have some extra dresses and I believe Eva won't mind sharing some of her clothes." "Thank you." Caroline said and Katherine begrudgingly followed suit. I grinned at the brunette. There was something about her that I liked. And Caroline seemed to be genuinely kind, even though she was a monster.

"Eva, Eva!" A voice called from outside. I heard the distress in Henry's voice. "What's the matter?" I asked as I exited Ayanna's home. "You have to come, Father isn't pleased with Nik and Elijah send me to come and get you." I looked at the house, but Ayanna nodded. She'd take care of Katherine and Caroline. "Eva, we have to hurry." I followed Henry to my house. Father was standing in front of a huddled Nik. "It took you long enough." Elijah whispered as I neared them. I noticed the small cut on Nik's arm. "You are no good, Niklaus. You are a disappointment to me and this in entire family." That's when I stepped forward. "Father." I said in disbelief. He turned to look at me. "Eva, where have you been all day?" The stern tone he had held just moments earlier was entirely gone. Instead was genuine concern, no accusation nor any anger. "I was out, gathering some herbs for Ayanna. Why is Nik bleeding?" I asked as I knelt down to sit down beside my brother. "We were just practicing his fighting skills. I got a bit carried away." Father turned to look at Nik. "My apologies, son." He didn't mean it, I knew that, but it was something. Then he walked away. I turned towards Nik. "You okay?" I asked. "You don't have to keep saving me, Eva. I'm fine." He said as he got up. I reached out for his arm. "Let me at least get your wound cleaned up." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Please?" I begged as I met his stare and tried to look as pleading as I could. He sighed and I knew I had won. It wasn't a deep cut, so I just cleansed it and put some herbs on it to keep it from festering. "I don't know how you do it, Eva." Elijah said as I was finishing up bandaging Nik's cut. I smiled at my big brother. "I guess it pays of to be daddy's little girl. I just wish he wouldn't be so hostile and unkind towards you. You haven't done anything wrong." Elijah placed a hand on my shoulder. Nik looked up at me. "Thanks." "Always and forever, right?" I said with a small smile. It was something we always said, it was a promise that we'd always be there for one another. My smile suddenly disappeared when I thought about the two vampires that were currently staying with Ayanna. The same faith that would befall my siblings. Forever had just taken on a completely different meaning. "Eva, is everything alright?" Rebekah asked. I got up and wiped my hands on my skirt. "I'm fine, Beks, it's just been a long day." Bekah put an arm around me and guided me home. "Come on, Mother wants us to help with dinner."

 **In the meantime at Ayanna's place…**

"Who do you think she is?" Caroline asked while getting into one of the dresses that had been given to them. "I don't know. I've never seen her before. Or maybe I have…" Katherine trailed, there had been something familiar about the girl. "It doesn't matter. We wound up in the wrong time. They're still human. And that girl, this Eva, obviously cares about the Mikaelsons." "I truly wonder who she is. For someone of maybe fifteen, she sure has a lot of power. She wasn't even scared of us." Caroline said while putting on the dress. "Maybe she's Kol's girlfriend or something. That might explain his obsession with witches." Katherine said, tying up the dress. When they were both properly dressed, they made their way back to Ayanna.

"You two already look as if you belong here. Eva will keep her mouth shut, but you'll have to be careful around her." "Is she clairvoyant?" Caroline asked. "I do not know what powers Evanna holds. Her mother keeps an unusual distance, though she shares her gifts. I fear Evanna might be too powerful for her own good." "How did she know about the Mikaelsons becoming vampires?" Katherine inquired. She wanted to know as much as she could about this Evanna. "Eva came to me a couple of weeks ago. She told me she'd had these weird visions and voices that were whispering to her, telling her about the future of the Mikaelsons. She was quite upset. Knowing Eva, she'll try everything she can to stop that from happening. I need you to make sure that everything happens as it is supposed to be. Everything happens for a reason and one of these days, Evanna will realise that too." "It's really important for us to talk to Elijah." Katherine pushed the witch. "You'll have to be careful not to alter the time line."

"Ayanna." A voice called at the door. The witch went to open it. "Esther. Please do come in." Ayanna motioned for the woman to enter. She noticed the two girls. "These are Katherine and Caroline. They are the daughters of a friend in the Old World." Ayanna explained, using the story Evanna came up with. "Caroline, Katherine, this is Esther." She greeted them politely, not knowing that the two vampire knew a lot about her already. "Evanna said something along the same lines to Rebekah. Would you girls like to come over for dinner?" Esther asked, intrigued by the appearance of two strangers in this village. Katherine and Caroline looked at Ayanna. "If it's not of any trouble, Esther." "Of course not. Rebekah and Evanna are already helping. You're welcome to come too, Ayanna." "Thanks for the offer, but I have some things to take care of." Ayanna needed to consult the Spirits about the coming of the two girls. And about the visions of Evanna. "Of course. Caroline, Katherine, dinner will be ready in an hour." Esther said before walking out the door. "You already know who she is, I see." "We've met." Both girls said. "I don't want to hear it. Looks like you'll get your chance to meet Elijah tonight."

 **Less than an hour later…**

Caroline and Katherine made their way through the village, it wasn't that hard to find the Mikaelson's home. "I always wondered what they would be like as humans." Katherine said as she saw Elijah and Klaus having a conversation. Rebekah was playing with Henrik, while Finn was helping his mother. "You and me both. They don't have a thousand years weighing them down. Look, there's Evanna. With Kol." Caroline said, pointing at the pair. "Evanna, Kol." A stern voice called. It was Mikael. "Sorry, father." Both Kol and Evanna said. Caroline and Katherine exchanged a look. "They have another sister?" Caroline whispered to Katherine. "Apparently so."


	5. Chapter 5

**Somewhere on the outback of Tennessee – Present Day**

"Why did we stop here?" Rebekah asked as I got out of the car. "There's someone I'm meeting." "Here?" Rebekah asked while looking around. I'll admit, meeting in a graveyard was a bit weird, but no one would be here at this time of the day. Dawn was breaking. "Who are we meeting?" Rebekah asked when a woman approached.

"Evanna. Back from the dead, can't say I'm surprised though." "Roxane." The girl had light brown hair and almond shaped eyes, with an olive skin. "I take it that's your sister. Rebekah, right?" I could see the confusion on my sister's face. "How do you know?" She whispered, turning to look at me. "It's okay, Beks. I trust her." "And here I thought you had trust issues." Roxane mocked me. "Careful, Rox. It's never a good idea to bait an immortal witch." "Immortal, huh?" And then we both started laughing. She pulled me in for a hug. "It's damn good to see you again." Roxane whispered to me. "Same here. Did you find out anything more?" Roxane was a pretty damn powerful witch who had been around for even longer than I had. She nodded slightly.

"Eva, care to explain?" My sister pulled at my arm, not giving Roxane the chance to answer. "Rebekah, this is Roxane. Rox, this is my sister Rebekah. Roxane is Qetsiyah's daughter." I didn't mention that Silas was the father. "And you trust her?" My sister asked, clearly wondering whether I was losing my mind. "I do, Beks. And she's going to help us with Hayley's daughter." Rebekah didn't question me on this, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. I knew there would be a serious conversation when it was just the two of us. "The miracle baby." Roxane had been around for almost two thousand years and had been able to survive that long. She'd been the one who had helped me find the truth about what I was. And together we had made some progress. Unfortunately, not enough. We were still in the dark about a great many things. "Nature's loophole." Roxane laughed at that. "You honestly believe that? Because if you did, you wouldn't be here." She knew me pretty well. "A battle is coming. Something ancient has been awakened." Roxane didn't look all that surprised. "You know something." I said when she didn't respond immediately. "I know many things, Eva, but about this battle, it has long been foretold." I looked at her expectantly. "Remember when you went on your Spirit Quest, you found a tree, the Yggdrasil, blocking your path. The Norn cutting a tread." I nodded, remembering fully well what had transpired on that quest. "Destiny." I whispered.

"Eva, you do realise that I'm not Kol, right? I don't know much about this witchy stuff and what this is all about."

"I believe there are times even I don't know what it is all about. In this case, it's quite a story. It's probably best if Roxane tells it." Roxane nodded in agreement. It was an oral tradition, passed down over the generations.

" _I remember, tales of old,_

 _nine homes, up in the tree._

 _In times of old, Chaos,_

 _no land nor sea, no sun nor moon,_

 _no stars to shine down upon you._

 _The burden lifted, the mighty created._

 _Then the holy ones assembled,_

 _up in their seats on the marbled thrones,_

 _names they gave, council they held._

 _Order was established in the cosmos._

 _Nine worlds I knew,_

 _with strong roots beneath the mould._

 _Mighty Midgard,_

 _the realm of the mortals._

 _The battlefield for the gods._

 _Fire and blood colour the earth red._

 _A struggle for power,_

 _one that could mean the end of the world._

 _The ash still stands,_

 _hearing the prayer of a seventh child._

 _The old crone of the lofty tree,_

 _white water,_

 _cleansing the wickedness._

 _The call of the daughter was answered,_

 _fair-haired Dayana_

 _became the hope of the world._

 _The Erodia offered a deal,_

 _Dayana accepted,_

 _bestowing upon her gifts_

 _too great for anyone to hold._

 _A great and terrible evil was stirring in the East,_

 _the Mother wanted to walk again._

 _The three-faced Maiden_

 _found herself betrayed by Dayana._

 _The fair-haired witch_

 _didn't uphold her end of the bargain,_

 _dooming the world._

 _Heaven and earth bended to her will,_

 _she became unstoppable._

 _Some tried,_

 _but she refused to yield,_

 _killing those she had once cared for._

 _But the Yggdrasil still endured,_

 _the Crow Goddess lighted her torch,_

 _calling to the one who had failed before._

 _Oaths were broken,_

 _words and bonds made anew._

 _From the home of the gods,_

 _he rose, mighty and gracious._

 _A last pledge he made,_

 _the Saviour of Cities,_

 _but would suffer the consequences._

 _Earth's Champion,_

 _the god who had once sworn_

 _to love Dayana forever,_

 _finally managed to drive a sword through her heart._

 _Nine steps he took,_

 _in swelling rage,_

 _unknowingly linking his faith_

 _with that of the Huntress._

 _Dayana was defeated,_

 _but the battle wasn't won._

 _The Old Crone and the Lily_

 _entombed the Mother,_

 _not having the power to rid the world of her forever._

 _Only Dayana had,_

 _and because of her,_

 _so will others._

 _The Wild One will hunt again._

 _But for now,_

 _a new world has come into being,_

 _risen from the ashes of death and destruction._

 _Time to wash our hands_

 _from the bloodshed_

 _and look to the earth,_

 _in wondrous beauty once again._

 _A day shall come_

 _when the Mother will walk this earth once more,_

 _the gloomy serpent from below._

 _Now I must sink."_

I found it incredible that to this day still, a tale like that survived. Generation after generation, it had passed on. Rebekah stared at Roxane, not knowing what to make of it. "That's a strange story, but what does this have to do with us?" Rebekah asked. Roxane looked at me. Another piece of my vision had just clicked. "Baba Yaga. She's going to use the birth of the miracle baby to get her full power back. She created her own nexus vorti." Roxane nodded in agreement. "Baba Yaga, Kybele, the Mother, call her what you want, she's no good. She's going to try and use the baby for her own personal gain. I'll make sure that doesn't happen. Time is running out. You have your work cut out for you, Eva." Didn't I know that. I was really dreading the time that was going to come. I've tried to protect them for as long as I could, guess I was just going to have to find a good time to come clean to my siblings. I didn't know how they were going to take the news. But, those were things for later on. First the Other Side. Roxane seemed to have read my mind. "You know the deal, Eva. I protect yours as long as you do the same with mine. I'm not expecting miracles, but she could be an asset." I nodded in understanding. Kol had already mentioned Bonnie Bennett and the possibilities she could offer. Plus he sort of half promised her help if she cooperated. "I'll do what I can, Rox." She accepted my answer. "You might need this." Roxane offered me a bracelet. It was the one that I had given to her for safekeeping. I extended my arm and Rox clasped the bracelet on my arm. I immediately felt its power connecting with my own. Roxane gave me a small smile. "Until we meet again, Evanna." She pulled me in for a hug. "May the moon alight your path." I whispered to her. "And may the stars watch over you." Roxane said before walking away.

I could feel Rebekah's eyes boring into my back. I slowly turned around to face my sister, knowing that a lecture was coming. "Have you completely lost your mind? All these years, we do our utter best to keep you a secret and you run off and make friends with the daughter of some crazy witch? And not just that, but she knows a whole lot about us, about you, and you didn't think for one second that we should meet her? What were you thinking, Evanna?" "I found myself in a bad situation and I didn't know how to get myself out. Roxane happened to walk by and she was able to help me out. We've been friends ever since. She's helped me discover more about who I am. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't know why I'm this powerful. And she would never betray me. I'm not asking you to trust her, but I'm asking you to trust me. Can you do this?" I waited for my sister to say something. Slowly she nodded. "I trust you, Eva. Don't ever doubt that." My sister said as she took my hands in hers. She squeezed them gently. "So, why are you so powerful? You never talked about that." I bit my lip to figure out how much to tell her. "Remember what Rox said about the seventh daughter who made a deal with the Old Crone?" Rebekah nodded. "You're a seventh child, a daughter. So this deal has an effect to this time still?" "It's complicated, but to answer your question, it sort of does. You see, a powerful witch should never have more than six children if her first child is female. Yet, every once in a while it happens. It's like statistics. Every thousand years, give or take a decade, a seventh daughter is born. It's magick to balance the possible return of the Mother. Normally, the witch in question shows extraordinary powers, but she lives a normal life. But with me, something has changed. I was born a little over a millennium ago, and until this day, no seventh daughter has been born to a powerful witch." I could see my sister trying to make sense of what I was telling her. "Is that why you're back? To fight Baba Yaga?" "It's more complicated than that. I can't explain it to you now. It's a very long story and I only want to tell it once. I need all of you to be alive and have our current issues with the Other Side resolved. Baba Yaga has to wait until the birth of the miracle baby. And so does my story." I knew there was a strain in my voice. "You're finally going to tell us everything?" Rebekah asked, sounding hopeful. "From beginning to end." I promised her. A little smile graced my sister's mouth. Then we walked back to the car and hit the road.

Rebekah drove while I took a nap. I woke up after an hour or two. Beks offered me one of Nik's cupcakes. "I've been thinking. What did Roxane mean by _I protect yours as long as you protect mine_? And how is she like two thousand years old? Is she like you?" I took a bite from the cupcake before answering. "Let's start from the beginning. Roxane isn't immortal. Qetsiya is the originator of the Bennett bloodline. Roxane is Qetsiya's firstborn, she had some siblings, who are now long since dead. But Qetsiya, being as awesome and crazy as she is, linked Roxane to the Bennett line. As long as Bennett witches walk this earth, so long does Roxane live. Now, the Bennett line is becoming a rare breed. There are few full-blooded Bennetts left. Roxane herself isn't a witch exactly, her powers stem from her connection with her bloodline. It's like the reverse of the New Orleans ancestral magic. Roxane wants me to help Bonnie, to bring her back from being the anchor. Bonnie was an extremely powerful witch, having her back on this side, permanently, gives Roxane some extra juice. And I fear that we may have need of every asset we can get."

"God, Eva. How many people are you going to drag back to the land of the living? How the bloody hell are you going to pull that off?" "That's the million dollar question, isn't it? I'm still in the dark as to the how. But I'll figure something out." There wasn't another option. Especially now that I knew that Baba Yaga was the ancient evil that had awoken. It terrified me. "You're so sure about that." "I have to believe that I can do this, Beks. I spent a thousand years looking for something that I would never get back. I've wasted centuries looking for something that I had lost long ago instead of trying to save what I still had. We are a family, it's about time we started acting like it again." Rebekah let out a small hollow chuckle. "We haven't been a family in a long time, Eva." "I know. We're shells of the people we used to be. It's time to try and find our humanity again. And maybe together, we can do so. We grew up together, maybe we can remind one another of who we once were."

Rebekah remained quiet for a moment, focussing on the road. About half an hour later she pulled over. It was one of those typical roadside diners. We ordered some food and drinks and sat down at one of the booths. "I have to ask, though Damon? Matt and Stefan, I get. But Damon?" Rebekah looked mortified at first, but then she pulled her head back in laughter. "We've all done things we're not proud off. And he was available when I didn't want to be alone. It won't happen again and I'd rather forget it happened in the first place." I held up my hands in surrender. "It's not as if he's that bad looking, it's just, I kind of hate that arrogant smirk. And that thing he does with his eyes. Plus he's kind of a douche." "Speaking from experience?" Rebekah sounded amused. "I met him once, he was with Sage. Didn't really care much for him. I liked Stefan better. Not a douche bag." I had met Stefan several times, once with Lexi and once in his Ripper days. "I think pretty much everyone likes Stefan better." I knew that whatever was between Stefan and Rebekah was still slightly unresolved. I had been with them in the twenties. It was love, as simple as that. There story wasn't over.

 **New Orleans – Present Day**

Klaus had better things to do, but he needed a drink. Having his youngest sister waltz back into his life was something he hadn't dared dream of in a very long time. He had missed her, but he was also angry with her. How dare she leave them like that? She was supposed to be immortal, just like him. Klaus was still doubtful about whether or not she'd be able to bring the others back. It scared him too. He knew that things would change once the Mikaelson clan was back together again. Change was imminent. He cursed himself, annoyed with his stupidity. Somehow, he'd deluded himself into caring about the unborn child. And now he had lost something that was never going to be his. Rebekah had been right, he'd been in denial. He would never be a father. It was probably for the best.

"So, you all seem to be quite close with this Evanna. How long have you know her?" Cami inquired, shaking Klaus from his thoughts. Nik took a large sip from his bourbon. "I've known Eva her entire life." He thought back at the innocent and happy girl she had once been. Running around the woods, getting them all into trouble. Klaus recalled all the times she had saved him, talked Mikael down. And then there was that proud stance she would get when she was able to perform a spell correctly. He remembered the seven year old, careless girl. The twinkle in her eyes, her laughter, full and rich, he missed that sound. It had been a thousand years, her innocence long gone, her eyes haunted by some evil he couldn't protect her from. The centuries had weighed her down, her bright light, slowly diminishing. And there was nothing he could've done. He couldn't save her, because he didn't know how to fix it.

"Are you okay?" Cami asked, sounding concerned. "Why wouldn't I be?" Klaus snapped. "Easy brother." Elijah said, sitting down next to him. Elijah sensed that his brother was on edge. "Don't give me a lecture, Elijah." Elijah chuckled at Klaus reaction. "Am I amusing you, brother?" Klaus practically spit out the last word. "That's the Klaus I know." They both sat in silence for a while. Cami made a last attempt to have a conversation with Klaus. "So, how's Hayley?" Wrong thing to say. "That little wolf won't be around any time soon. Don't mention her again." Klaus sounded angry. "Do you want to talk about it?" Cami tried. "No, I don't want to thank about how I am the bad guy and ruin everyone else's life. Because let's face it, Eva's right. I am an arrogant, spiteful monster. The one who made bad decisions, breaking up this family. I drove Rebekah away, after everything we've been through. Kol's dead because of me. And Finn, well, he has every right to hate my guts. It's my fault."

Elijah put a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder. "You do realise why she's doing this, don't you?" Klaus turned towards Elijah. "In all honesty, brother, I don't. She hasn't been this involved since we were humans. Why the change?" "I believe, that in her own way, Eva's trying to find her way back. And she needs us to help her, we need each other to remind ourselves who we once were."

"Always the hopeful one, aren't you, Elijah?" "It beats being bitter from old age. You have single-handedly managed to push everyone away. Eva is giving you a second chance. You may not owe it to yourself, but you owe it to your family. To Rebekah who has stood by you for all those years, to Finn who has been locked in a coffin for centuries, to Kol, who has died trying to protect us. To me, because I have tried the best I can and to Evanna, who has been through hell and back." Elijah emptied his drink and left Niklaus to his thoughts.

Elijah walked around New Orleans, trying to find Davina. By chance he ran into her at the town square. "Davina." Elijah called out. The girl turned towards him, she regarded him cautiously. "Elijah." "I was hoping we could talk." He explained. Davina hesitated. "I have some time, I guess. Has Eva left already?" "Yes, she left during the night. She's actually the one who has asked me to talk to you." He sometimes wondered how his sister managed to get people to trust her this fast. She could be fearsome and unpredictable, and yet, she had somehow already earned Davina's trust. It may have been because of what she did for Josh and for the way she didn't push Davina about her magic. He only hoped that Davina would be willing to discuss her resurrection.

"Alright then." Elijah guided Davina towards the plantation house, not wanting anyone to eavesdrop on them. Eva had informed him that she'd placed a protection spell on it to make sure that only those with a relation to her could get in and invite other people in. "How come you never mentioned Eva before?" Davina inquired. "Because until a few days ago, she was dead." He didn't see any harm into telling Davina this, it would help establish some trust. Besides, Eva had told him to trust the girl, until a certain extent, however. "How did she come back?" "That's a bit of a mystery. We were hoping you might be able to shed some light on this, or offer some help." They had arrived at the plantation house and he invited the young girl in. He led her to the sitting room. "I don't know how I can be of any help." Davina said as she sat down. "Eva seems to thinks so. Can I get you something to drink?" "Do you have some tea? And you seem to put a lot of faith in Eva." The underlying message was clear to Elijah. "I trust her with my life. Any preference on the tea?" "Peppermint?" Elijah nodded and went to the kitchen to prepare the tea. Davina followed him and sat down on the counter.

"This is a nice place." Davina said as she looked around the room. "It's history may not be as nice, but it's been our home for a long time." "Do you have any other places that you call home?" Elijah was surprised by the girl. He hadn't thought she would be making much conversation with him, but yet, here she was, inquiring about their life. "New Orleans is the only place we ever settled down. But we do have another house, back in Mystic Falls." "That's where Eva is headed, right?" She was observant. "It is." Silence hung between them for a moment. "So, what does Eva really want to know? I doubt she asked you to give me tea and talk about your home." "She wanted me to ask you about the Harvest Ritual and your resurrection."

Davina almost hopped of the counter and walked out, but somehow, she found the strength to remain seated. She didn't answer and Elijah didn't force her. The water in the kettle was boiling. Elijah grabbed two mugs and poured them some tea. He gave a mug to Davina and sat down opposite her, waiting for her to start the conversation. Minutes passed by and Davina didn't say anything. She didn't know where to begin. The Original vampire remained silent. "Let's make a deal." Davina finally decided. She had the upper hand here. Elijah was surprised. This young witch was smart. She figured that she was the one who held all the cards. "Alright. What do you want?" Elijah knew he had to tread carefully and not push the girl.

"I'll only talk to Eva about this. She said she would teach me more about magic, if I was interested. Last night, I told her I didn't know. Now I do. You want to know what I know, you'll have to take me to her." Elijah chuckled. Of course. Sometimes, he didn't get witches. Or his sister for that matter. "Glad you find this amusing." Davina mumbled. "It has nothing to do with you, Davina. It's just, Eva would've seen this coming." And the words had barely left his mouth, or his screen flashed Eva's name.

"You have excellent timing." Elijah said as he answered. "Don't I always, Elijah." "Davina only wishes to discuss this with you." He heard his sister sigh. "Of course. Put me on speaker, would you?" Elijah did as she asked. "Elijah says you'll only talk to me. Here's the deal, take it or leave it. I'll be in Mystic Falls for a little longer than anticipated. You want to talk, then you'll come here. I know what you have seen, because I have seen the same thing. Get your things ready to leave tomorrow. Take Josh with you, he knows where to go. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone but Marcel that you're leaving. Don't tell the witches. We'll talk more when you get to Mystic Falls." Evanna didn't give Davina any time to reply. She'd already hung up.

Elijah looked at Davina. "Who is she?" Davina raised her head and looked to Elijah for answers. "She's many things. But for now, she's someone who wants to help you." "How did she know?" It took Elijah a moment to realise that she was asking about the vision or dream or whatever the girl must've had. "A witch taught Eva that everything happens for a reason. Most of the time, Eva seems to believe the same. There's a war coming and it appears that you will be involved in it as well. I'm not telling you what to do, but it would be wise to do as Evanna says. She's been around for a very long time, almost as long as me." Davina stopped herself from asking more. It was obvious that the whole Mikaelson family was loyal to Eva and that if she wanted to know more about Evanna, she'd have to ask her herself. Davina nodded. "I guess I'll be leaving New Orleans. Do you know what this will mean for my magic?" Elijah shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I fear you might not be able to practice. There's a reason why Eva is asking you to leave. She knows what she's doing." At least that's what Elijah hoped.

-My Immortal - My Immortal -

Nik was nursing his drink and thinking about what Elijah had just said. So his little sister wanted to give them all a second chance. Good for her, because he wasn't the only one who'd blown the first one. Eva had done a lot of terrible things as well, and yet, they all still loved her anyway. Him included. He could never not care about Evanna, just like in the end, he would still care about Rebekah. Nik sighed. The Mikaelson reunion had been difficult and then finding out about the baby. It was all just piling up.

The redhead walked into the bar, ignoring Klaus. He drained the rest of his bourbon and headed over to Genevieve. Time to get the witch talking. "Hello love." She didn't respond. He sat down next to her, making sure she wouldn't get out. After about five minutes, she finally said something. "What do you want?" She was still angry with him for his dismissal of her. "Come now, sweetheart, it was nothing personal. I had to tend to a family matter." "Who is she?" There was some venom in her voice, but at least she was talking to him. "Evanna. She's a very old friend, I've known her all her life. Eva's also a witch who has helped me out on several occasions."

"Then why are you talking to me?" Nik chuckled. "Sweetheart, Eva's like a sister, there is nothing remotely romantic between us, there never was and there never will be." Genevieve turned to look at him closely. "One drink." She relented. Klaus motioned at the Cami for two drinks. Time to get the information he needed.

"So, Genevieve, tell me something, love, have you ever met a witch who went by the name of Valerie LaMarche?" He saw Genevieve looking at him in surprise. "And that's why you are back to talking to me, you need information. Why don't you ask your witch, Eva, I'm sure there are a lot more things she can tell you about Valerie. Or maybe you should ask Valerie's daughter." Genevieve made a move to leave, but Klaus didn't budge. "I'm asking you." It was clear that the witch was annoyed with his insistence, but she gave in. "She was a witch, extremely powerful and dabbled in the most arcane arts." "Really? She sounds like a very intriguing figure." Genevieve snorted. "Using Expression does that to witches. From what I've heard, it's what got her killed."

"How come I never met her?" Nik was confused, if she was as powerful as Genevieve suggested he would've crossed paths with her, one way or another. Then again, he knew Expression and from what he'd seen the Bennett witch accomplish, she could've been able to hide herself. "She was younger than me, I only know of her existence because Celeste told me about her." Once again, his brother's ex was a source of information. Too bad she wasn't around anymore. "You mentioned a daughter, what about her?" "Ask Evanna, they know one another."

What was his sister trying to gain? If she knew the daughter, than she would've known the mother as well. He was grasping at straws, and Eva had sent him on a wild goose chase. "She forgot to mention that. Now of the more interesting things. Tell me, Genevieve, what kind of magic are you practicing nowadays?" "What has got you so interested in what I am doing, Klaus?" She wasn't as naive as she had been in the twenties, what a shame. "This is my city." He said it casually, but Genevieve got the message. She smiled sweetly at him. "And what if I don't tell you? You'll kill me?" It was Nik's turn to smile. "Eventually. But first, Evanna will get it out of you." "She's no match for me." Genevieve said cockily, not realising that Eva had about ten times as much experience as the redheaded witch. "Sweetheart, you do not want to challenge Evanna. She's almost as old as I am. Eva has done things you can only imagine doing. That earthquake from a couple of nights ago, that was her. She can raise storms and bend people to her will. I'd love to see you try and stop her." The girl's eyes grew wide in disbelief.

"The Huntress." Genevieve whispered. "Is that what she calls herself nowadays?" It suited his sister, that for sure. Klaus leaned back, watching Genevieve trying to make sense of it. "It's a legend, Celeste mentioned. I didn't ask, but she did tell me about one witch she wouldn't dare crossing. Rumour has it she died a couple of years ago. Apparently they weren't true." "That's interesting. Anything else you know about her?" He was intrigued. Klaus had heard of the Huntress before, but had never thought it applied to his youngest sister. "Why are you here instead of her?" Genevieve dared to glance at the Original Hybrid. There was a small smile tugging at his lips. "Because she has other things to do. And she thought you might like me better than her."

There was something about Genevieve that he liked. She was smart and she didn't just let people walk over her. It reminded him of his favourite blonde vampire in Mystic Falls. But the witch lacked the light and fearlessness Caroline possessed. Nobody could compare to his Caroline. She was out of their league, and most of all, out of his. He would see Caroline again, one day, when she was ready. She needed to realise that her plans and that her idea of what her life is supposed to be like wouldn't suffice, not in the long run. And he would be there, waiting for her.

"Klaus?" Genevieve asked hesitantly. "Sorry, got a bit lost in thought. Now, there are two ways we can go about this, either you tell me what I want to know and we have a nice evening or you continue to be stubborn and it will all be a lot less pleasant, but by the end of the night, I will still have what I came here for. The choice is yours."

 **On the Road – Present Day**

"Davina's joining us in Mystic Falls? With Josh? Are you sure that's a good idea?" "I need to get her out of New Orleans." Rebekah looked at her sister, wondering once again, what the hell was she planning. "Why?" "Because, as long as she is in New Orleans, she'll be tight to the ancestors. And that will be a hindrance for her further magical development." Rebekah didn't fully understand, but she decided to let it slide. It will become clear, in due time. She hoped.


	6. Chapter 6

**Mikaelson living room**

"She's crazy." Tyler said when Eva had left them to talk to someone on her phone. "Crazy or not, she's too powerful to be messed with. She healed from a wound that would've killed a mortal." Stefan countered. "If we have to believe her, she's old, like almost as old as the Originals. Also, she says that she has killed her family." Damon added to the argument. "She cares for Rebekah. There is an easiness between them, a dynamic that can only have grown out of spending many years together." Matt stated. "So, we just wait and hope she doesn't kill us?" Jeremy asked. "You heard her, she promised Elijah she wouldn't kill anyone. Let's hope that she's a woman of her word." Caroline answered.

"She died." Elena said, listening in on the conversation the witch was having with Klaus over the phone. "The girl mentioned it to Rebekah as well. She's hiding something from the Mikaelson's." Matt added. "Is she Klaus' girlfriend or something?" Damon wondered, while looking at the blonde vampire.

Kol listened as the group was debating what to do next. "If I may give some advice. Just hear her out. She's not very patient and she lives by her own rules, one of them being quid pro quo. Anything you do to her or those she cares about, you can expect she'll avenge it. Respect the ground rules she has laid out and you'll be fine. Eva is a woman of her word." Kol said to the group, hoping that for once, they wouldn't be too stubborn.

"Alright. We'll just wait and see what she wants." Bonnie concluded. It was the best approach. It didn't take long before Eva and Rebekah entered the room, carrying some refreshments for everyone.

"You've been a bad host, Eva. You shouldn't keep people waiting." Kol said as I entered the living room. "We're making up for it by bringing some snacks. Besides, stabbing the hostesses isn't exactly good guest behaviour." Rebekah answered Kol. "You can see him?" Jeremy asked in disbelief. "Eva did a spell." Kol explained.

"You're free to leave, but the Bennett girl stays." I looked at the people one by one. Caroline was with them. It had been so long since I'd seen her. But she didn't recognise me. There was Elena, flanked by a Salvatore sibling on either side. There was Luke, standing with his twin. Jeremy, Tyler and Matt were also present. Finally, my eyes fell on the person I had actually come to meet.

"Who are you?" Bonnie asked. "I'm Evanna, but most people just call me Eva. And you are Bonnie Bennett. I know one of your ancestors. I also met your grandmother. I'm sorry about your loss. She was a kind and loving person." "Thank you." She didn't waver, she looked me straight in the eye. Roxane would be proud, she had the Bennett spirit. "Actually, we have some questions as well." Elena said. "Why don't you start, then?" I suggested. I sat down next to Rebekah. It was a good thing we had such a spacious living room that everyone could actually be seated. I was surprised that no one had left, though. "I'm waiting." I said as no one opened their mouths.

"Since none of you are going to talk, I'll just say something instead. I heard you have a bit of a Traveler problem. How has that been going?" Everyone turned to look at me. "They took care of themselves. Just burnt themselves and bye bye Travelers." Damon answered. "That's good, right Eva?" I could feel Beks eyes on me. "You killed the doppelganger, didn't you?" I directed at Stefan. "How do you know about that?" "Like I said, I know a lot more about this than you do. And your Traveler problem is probably far from being solved."

"Eva, no offence, but the doppelganger is sitting right there." "I was talking about Stefan's doppelganger." Rebekah looked at me in shock. "You lost me here." "I'll explain later, but first, Bonnie, did anything pass through from the Other Side while the Travelers died?" If something did get through, it might complicate things a little bit. "I don't know. It could be. It just hurt a lot." "Markos?" Kol asked. "Probably." "Wait, you mentioned him before. The Traveler from the fifth century or so?" Rebekah deduced. "The one and only."

"Who's Markos?" Bonnie asked. "How about we find out whether or not he's truly back." I got up from the couch and walked over to Bonnie. "I'm going to need to dive into your memories." "You what?" The girl asked. "In order to know for sure whether Markos is truly back on this side, I need to find out if he passed through you." "What makes you think he passed through?" Caroline wondered. I turned towards her. "I've had some dealings with Travelers in the past. Markos was their leader way back in the fifth century. He was also one of the most powerful Travelers of all time. You said that the Travelers spontaneously combusted while they were chanting. By dying all at once, they overwhelmed the anchor, weakening the veil. Someone could have passed through." I explained. "Will it hurt?" I looked at Bonnie. She was still recovering from the dead of the Travelers. And Roxane would be furious if she ever found out that I hurt one of her descendants when I could've easily averted it. "No." I said, deciding to shield her from it. There was no need for Bonnie to live through that pain twice. "May I?" I asked, holding out my hands. Bonnie got up.

I placed my hands on her head and closed my eyes. "I need you to recall the night when the Travelers died." She nodded and I slipped into her mind, easily finding the memory. I cried out, feeling their deaths wash over me. I heard my sister's voice in the background, but I shook my head. I was almost there. In the memory, Bonnie had eventually passed out. And that was when I had to become creative. I focused on transporting myself there, in that memory, and break out of Bonnie's remembrance of the moment. That was when I saw Markos. He was back.

I let go of Bonnie's head and stepped back. Rebekah was immediately by my side. "Are you okay?" "Yeah. The dead passing though is not my favourite experience." I gratefully drank from the glass she offered me. I looked at Bonnie in a new light and decided that I would do whatever I could to make this better for her. "So, what's the verdict?" Kol asked. "He's back." "That's bloody fantastic." Rebekah remarked. "Let's throw a party." Damon commented. "What does he want?" Bonnie asked. I looked from Elena to Stefan. "He needs the doppelgangers. For now, you'll stay here." It wasn't up for discussion. "What does he want with us?" "Your blood, in order to perform a spell, he'll need to use your blood." And I sure as hell wasn't planning on giving that to him. "What are we going to do about him?" "Nothing. You are way out of your league. Markos is almost as powerful as Qetsiyah was. You'll be safe here. We'll deal with him later. First I need answers to my questions and Davina will also be arriving soon and gods know I'm going to have some work with her." I didn't give any other explanation.

"Fine, what can we help you with?" "I need to know some more about resurrection spells. I've been told that you may know a few." I directed it at Bonnie. "You want to bring the Originals back to life?" Caroline made the logical deduction. "Yes." "In that case, we can't help you." Jeremy responded. "I don't think that it's your decision to make." I said to the boy. "You do realise that in order to bring them back, you'd need access to immense power. You might even die." Bonnie warned. "I know that magic comes with a price, Bonnie." "There's one spell that you can use to resurrect someone, but then the parent needs to die. There are two others, one of them resulted in my death and I used expression, the other was with the help of the spirits. It was black magic." I could use the child parent spell, now that I knew that Markos was back. The spirits weren't that big a fan of me and they sure as hell won't let me use their powers to bring the Originals back. And expression, well, I hated that, so that was also a no go. "Could you write them down, please?" I handed her a piece of paper and a pen.

I looked at the spells she gave me.

 _Victas Phesmatis Ex Eleto. Revertas Phesmatis Ut Victas. Victas Phesmatis Ex Eleto. Revertas Phesmatis Ut Victas._

 _Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Raverus On Animum._

 _Phasmatos Tribum Melan Veras Raddiam Onu Pavadus Ponemus_

"The first one is the one I used with the help of the Spirits, the second one performed using Expression and the last one is to link someone to another and when one dies, that person is revived by the life force of the other." Bonnie explained. Of course, they were in Latin, typically something for Bennett witches. "Are they of any use?" Kol asked, looking over my shoulder to read the spells. "Maybe." "You think the Spirits will help you?" Bonnie asked, looking from me to Kol. "Probably not. We've never got along."

"You have what you came here for, you can let us go now." Tyler said, walking over to the door. "You may go, the doppelgangers stay." "We have done just fine without you, thank you very much." I heard my sister sigh from behind me. "Why are you even protecting them, Eva? If they don't want our help, why give it?" "It's not about their wellbeing, Beks. It's self-preservation. Markos wants to lift the curse that was placed on his kind so many centuries ago. If he succeeds, the order of nature will change. Vampires will revert back to their human forms, witches won't be able to practice magic except for Pure Magic. I can't let that happen."

"How do you know so much about these Travelers?" Liv asked. "Because I've looked outside my own niche and learnt a lot about magic during my lifetime." It was then that I got a message from Roxane. It contained two words. _Gemini Coven_. I turned from Luke back to Liv. "Question is, how come you don't?" I shot back at Liv. I knew of the Gemini Coven and what they could do. "I have no idea what you are talking about." "Really? Let me spell it out for you then. The Gemini Coven?" I heard Kol suck in a breath behind me. "No way? You're related to Kai?" Kol stared at the twins, trying to find a resemblance to his former buddy. "Gemini Coven?" Bonnie wondered. It was clear from the confused faces of everyone else that they had no clue either. I looked at Liv, waiting for her to explain.

"We were sent her to protect you from the Travelers. Eva is right, the doppelgangers are important to the Travelers and the Anchor is also a very interesting player in whatever is going to occur next. A leader is always chosen out of twins, who merge their powers into one." That was putting it nicely. "So, you knew who we were? All this time, I thought I was helping you. Why didn't you tell us?" Bonnie asked, sounding hurt and angry. "We had orders." Luke defended his sister's actions. "Look, the Gemini Coven is not your enemy, though I doubt they were only here to protect. These witches were tasked with keeping track of the Travelers and stop anything like this from happening. They are here to keep the balance of nature." "Which is why we can't let you bring the Originals back from the dead." Liv seemed to have found her strength, it was probably due to the fact that she didn't need to hide her lineage. Kol laughed at the young witch. "She has Kai's spirit. I take it your the stronger one. Girl Power and all that, good for you. But, I had to break it to you, darling, but when Eva is intent on doing something, it's going to happen. And you won't be able to stop her." Kol directed at the girl. I repeated it, since she couldn't see him. "Can't you do something about this, Eva? It's annoying to be invisible. My words lose their power because you have to repeat them, no offense to you." I bit on my lip, trying to come up with something. I grabbed the stone and focused on enhancing the effect it had. "Phasmatos Obscuram, Ex Luces Estnes Qua Umbres. Natus Ignavum Evitem. Phasmatos Obscuram, Ex Luces Estnes Qua Umbres." I felt the magic flow merge with the spell. "Did it work?" Kol asked, looking around. "It did." Caroline commented. He moved in for a high five with the blonde, but she just stared at him.

"You still can't bring them back permanently." Luke repeated his sister's warning. "I think I like this Gemini Coven." Tyler said, moving closer to the twins. "You still don't get it, do you? You are no match for her." Kol said. "We have a coven." Luke threw at my brother. "A coven? You have what? Four members? And without Kai, you're really not much of a challenge." Kol joked. "We are still the Gemini Coven and our father can stop her." Liv countered. "Ah, daddy dearest. How is he? If you do call him, tell him I said hi." I had known Joshua Parker for some time, and I knew what Liv meant by stop me. I would actually love to see him try. "You know our father?" "Yes, I helped him back in 1994. And while a prison world might be a bit of a challenge, I doubt it would serve its purpose where I am concerned."

"Okay, can we just stop talking about magic. I've had my fair share of it for a couple of days." Rebekah complained. "We're only just beginning, Bekah." "So what, there's another magical emergency on its way here?" Rebekah shook her head when she noticed my face. "Don't. I don't want to know." "Your brain can't handle the overload of information?" Kol teased. "If you've had lived through my past couple of days you would've wanted a break." "What? A road trip with Eva? Eva coming back from the dead? You being killed twice?" Kol knew he was getting on his sister's nerves and he was enjoying every minute of it. Rebekah was close to snapping. Time to change the subject. "Alright, since Stefan and Elena are going to remain here until we've dealt with Markos, who else is staying?" "Nik won't be happy that you're inviting them to stay." Rebekah huffed. "He's not here, is he? Besides, it's the family mansion." "Fine. Just as long as one of them cleans up the blood in the hallway." Rebekah relented.

"What are you going to do about Markos?" Caroline inquired. "You don't need to worry about that for the moment." "How do we know that we can trust you?" Stefan asked, getting up from the couch. "You don't. All I can tell you is that I promise you to keep you safe. Anyone who stays here will be under my protection during their stay. It might not mean much to you, but I do keep my word. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get some things ready. Feel free to roam around the estate. I put a protection spell on it, stopping anyone from leaving or from coming in." "And with roam around, she means stay out of our rooms. Why don't I give you a tour." Rebekah offered.

"Can I ask you something?" Bonnie had decided to forgo the tour and remained here with me. "Go ahead." I motioned for her to follow me. "Kol mentioned that you might be able to help me out with my anchor problem." I went to my wing, where there was a room, filled with necessities for spells. Nik had even thought of that. Or maybe it had been Esther who had made use of this place while she was here last. "I might." I said while grabbing some candles and positioning them around the table. "How did you know my grandmother? You hardly seem her age." "Looks can be deceiving. I met your grandmother way back in the seventies. Sheila was always very in tune with nature. She didn't always like the company I kept, nor did she appreciate my rather rash and violent attitude. Last time I saw her was in the nineties. Sheila was allied with the Gemini Coven." I had liked Sheila, we hadn't always seen eye to eye about certain things, but I held her in high regards. "She knew about your connection to the Originals?" I moved around the room, trying to find some chalk. "She knew and didn't like it. Or maybe that had more to do with me, though I liked to think that she started warming up to me in the end." Kol answered the former witch. "I thought you were in a coffin back then." "Luckily I know people in all the right places." Kol said with a wink. I had finally found some chalk. Nik's organisational skills were extremely poor when it came to the necessities of a witch. "Eva, what are you doing?" Kol asked, looking at me drawing a pentagram. "I'm drawing a pentagram, Kol." "I can see that. You're up to something." "If you hadn't figured that out by now, you're an even bigger idiot than I believed possible." My sister said from the doorway.

"Tour's over?" I asked, only Caroline and Stefan had followed Rebekah here. "Dumped them in the guest wing. They have drinks and recreation. There's only so far I'm willing to go for people that have attempted to kill me twice in one day." Rebekah said as she entered the room. "I can't believe Nik didn't tell me he built you a wing." Beks said, looking around. "Probably didn't want to bring it up. You know how he is." I shrugged. It was typically Nik, he had the emotional range of a teaspoon. "Yeah, he's pretty great at compartmentalising. Then again, it's a family trait." Rebekah gave me a look that left nothing to question. "My emotions affect weather conditions." "You're not fifteen anymore, Eva." Kol chastised. I was searching the room, trying to find some rope. "Looking for something?" Kol asked. "No Kol, I just feel like ransacking an entire room." I finally found a rope.

"Excuse me, Eva, but uhm, I was wondering..." Caroline trailed, it was clear she didn't want to ask whatever was bothering her. "No, Nik and I are not romantically involved, if that is what you wanted to know." I said, remembering very well what had transpired in the past. I saw a small blush appear on Caroline's cheeks. "Oh, that wasn't it. It's just, you died, right? I didn't mean to listen in or anything, but how come you are back?" "Yes, Eva, how come you got a free ride and we all have to wait for you to figure out how to bring us back?" Kol crossed his arm and tried to look intimidating. "There are things that have been set in motion a very long time ago. I'm just part of the unravelling of the strands that were knotted together millennia ago." I had started mixing the herbs together in order to make a potion. "Ah yes, the mysterious destiny." My sister commented sceptically. "It doesn't bode well to insult the Ancients, sister." Stefan stepped forward. "I have a feeling there is a lot more going on than you are willing to share." I smiled at him. "If you stick around and behave, I might just let you in on a little secret." "I know it is rude to ask, but how old are you?" Caroline jumped in. "I'm about a thousand years old."

"How is that even possible? It goes against nature, witches aren't supposed to be immortal." Bonnie exclaimed. "It's all rather relative, don't you think? Vampires came into existence because Esther wanted to protect her family from the werewolves. She wanted to make them stronger. The immortality was a side effect, but it happened nonetheless. Qetsiyah created an immortality spell, to be with the one she loved forever. And before her, others attempted the same. It's not as uncommon as one might think. Everything is possible, as long as you're willing to pay the price." "What price did you have to pay?" Stefan inquired. "A high price." I didn't explain, because even my siblings didn't know the jest of what exactly led to me becoming what I am now. "Eva likes her secrets." Kol commented. "And yet you all trust her." Stefan sounded a bit sceptic about that. "Betting my life on it." Kol joked.

Bonnie walked around the room and came to stand by me as I was making another potion. "Who taught you how to use your magic?" "Several witches. My mother for one, even though she'd rather have little to do with me. She tried, I guess. There was another witch where I grew up, she taught me the basics. But she didn't really know how to guide me further. I was an enigma to her. Then there's Roxane. I don't know where I'd be without her. If you're willing to listen and to participate, you can learn a lot from other witches as well. It's a process."

"Aren't witches supposed to have an aversion from vampires?" Caroline asked. "I grew up with them, so I never really had much of a problem with it. I need blood to survive and I've killed people as well. Don't be fooled by my appearance." Bonnie took a step back. "Aren't you supposed to honour nature and adhere to the Rede as a witch?" "Ah yes, _an it harm none, do what thou wilt._ The Bible says the same. In fact doesn't every religion have this ideal? Harm none, followed by a list of exceptions? It's all ways to regulate a society. And yes, you shouldn't kill people, you should try to be good and treat others with respect, but what's the point? What's the point in being good when you've got so much anger and pain inside of you? When everything you have once loved is taken away from you? What's it all worth when you wake up in a puddle of blood one day, not even knowing where the hell it came from? So, yes, I killed people because I was miserable and sad. I killed people because I liked to watch them suffer. Hell, I might even just destroy the world out of spite." I never had much of a problem with who I had become. Rebekah and Kol didn't even blink when I said that. They knew me.

"Do you have a switch or something? How can you do that to people?" Caroline asked in outrage. "I have a humanity switch, but it's not turned off. You're so young. All of you are. Nik always talks about how love is a vampire's greatest weakness, but it's not. It's that damn switch, because it's so damn complicated. It's not just a simple on or off. You should think of this switch as a light board or soundboard. You can change the intensity, alter the volume so to speak, of your feelings. No one's humanity switch is completely on. When you become a vampire, everything is heightened. Your emotions are all over the place. And as if by instinct, you turn it off, just a little bit. Because no one can handle everything they're feeling all at once. Gradually, you become more adapt at changing tunes, at switching emotions. That's why you're so young and why you have so much to learn. It takes vampires centuries to learn how to control that. Maybe that's why you perceived the Originals as evil, because they have become more adapt at managing their humanity. If you had lived a thousand years, you might not find it as easy to hold onto your humanity. You lose pieces of yourself over the centuries, until there's not much left of you. And sometimes, you need someone reminding you who you are. You need to remember the person, the human, that you have been once. This switch, it's our weakness. It makes us forget. But sometimes, we got to push back, change it up. I feel guilt, I know what I did to those people, I forced myself to live through their last moments. I've relived some of them as well. Over the centuries, I learnt to be more specific about my kills. But still, the darkness can be very tempting. And sometimes, I let it in." I remembered that night, so many centuries, when we all sat down together, as a family. I had even managed to talk Nik into letting Finn out of his coffin. I asked him to stay and listen. I told them about the switch, about the darkness. About the choices we could make. Silence hung in the room for a moment. I was preparing a bowl with some more herbs and set it on the table.

"It's not an excuse." Caroline whispered. Kol continued. "Of course it's not. But that's not what Eva meant. The world isn't black and white, darling. It's varying shades of grey. Actions itself are amoral. It's all about how you perceive them. You are the person who adds the morality to the action. You're taught to abhor violence and killing. And maybe it is bad, but I have seen so many things, things you can't even imagine. Things you will never know. People often do bad things without realising what they are doing. The bad guy usually perceives themselves as a hero in their own head. They believe that what they are doing is for the best. How do you think the Spanish conquistadors were able to kill so many indigenous people? Or what about the slave trade? Or colonialism? Exploiting other people? Torture? Flaying people? Burning witches at the stake? All humans are capable of terrible things. They don't have that switch, and some of them have lived some great lives without having to turn off their guilt. Were they psychopaths? Sociopaths? Crazy? Maybe, but maybe not. You killed twelve witches to save your friend. If you had the same choice would you do it again?"

"I'd always chose Bonnie, but that's different. I was saving someone's life." "One life and twelve dead." Rebekah added. "And yet you learn to live with it." Rebekah said when Caroline didn't respond. She wasn't entirely getting the point, but how could she? She was still so close to her human life. Rebekah and Kol understood why I did the things I did, same way I knew why Kol had an interest in witches and wasn't shy of raising some hell or why Rebekah fell in love so easily, why she was so willing to give her heart to someone. "Still doesn't mean I don't feel guilty." Caroline threw back. I sighed, maybe I should help her understand. She would find out sooner or later. Maybe this way, she could get used to the idea. "It's not about feeling guilt. It's about the fact that you have killed and you will do it again. It's unavoidable. One day, you'll have to chose between your life and that of someone else, you'll have to chose between friend or stranger. The stranger would lose most likely. I've done terrible things, and I might be a monster, but I've saved people as well. I try to be better, but it's hard. I have all this power, I am like a goddess walking among humankind. I have the power to give life and to take it away. And it's lonely sometimes. So killing people, living though their last moments, seeing that look in their eyes realising they're going to die and see their regrets, wishes, hopes and dreams, it's as honest as it gets. And it makes me feel alive. Because in the end, I have forever, my time is infinite. But life only gets meaning because it comes to an end. That's what being human is about, it's realising that your life will one day end. They have hopes and dreams, they try to achieve as much as they can, because they know that one day they will not be around anymore. Their life is finite. But as a vampire you could theoretically live forever, so how do you find meaning in your existence?" I wasn't expecting an answer to that question, because honestly, there was none. Every vampire tried to find meaning in their existence, whether it'd be love, bloodshed, family or whatever else made them feel alive. Elijah found it in family, Nik in making everyone as miserable as he is and keeping everyone as close as possible simply out of fear of being left alone. Finn found it in his morals, his love for Sage.

I heard a car pull up. "You're expecting someone?" Stefan asked. "Davina?" Rebekah inquired. "Probably."

"Eva, she's barely breathing." Josh yelled while getting out of the car. I immediately dropped the barriers to let him through. I made my way down the stairs and found a panicked Josh carrying an unconscious Davina. "When?" I asked as I led Josh upstairs. "She started to feel faint as soon as we left New Orleans, just as you expected, it was only when we entered Mystic Falls that she lost consciousness. Is she going to be okay?" I motioned for Josh to put her down on the table I had prepared. "Yes." I said without hesitation. Too much was riding on this. "What's wrong with her?" "I'll explain it once she's back."

"Everyone stay out of the pentagram." I said as I started chanting, lighting the five candles, calling on the elements. This was a dangerous thing I was attempting and it had to be done right. Grabbing the smudge stick I'd made earlier, I lighted it. The room filled with the scent of sage and sandalwood. Then I took the first potion and smeared it on Davina's brow. I tied Davina's wrist to mine and knotted the rope.

 _Verba audite_

 _Voca te_

 _In mentem devenit_

 _Animus sanguinis mei_

I sprinkled some blood on the lily of the valley I'd put in the bowl and set it on fire.

 _Quae perdita est_ , _inveniam te_

 _Sequitas sanguine, lilium convallium_

Davina's breathing had slowed down, she was in a comatose state now. I continued chanting the two last lines. Timing was of the essence here. If I left her like this for too long, she'd die, I pull her back to soon, all of this would've been for nothing. The lily was almost reduced to ashes. I took a small strand of Davina's hair, a drop of her blood and put it in the second bowl with the fir, hawthorn, rowan, blessed thistle, rosemary and mandrake. I set fire to a jet stone and dropped it into the bowl.

 _Tempus fit_

 _Eam demitte_

 _Tibi impero_

A small wind went through the room, I could hear the whispers of the Spirits. They weren't pleased. Davina's body started to contract.. Seems like the Spirits didn't want to let go of her. I continued my chant.

 _Referte, referte_

 _Finite._

With that last world, the candles extinguished and a final cry of the Spirits pierced the room. Davina stirred, then she woke up, gasping for air. "It's okay, you're okay." I said, giving the second potion to the girl to drink. It was just to calm her down. She had a wild look in her eyes, a mixture of fear and pain. I could only imagine what she had gone through. "There was a girl, she was in chains, but alive. There was a flower by her feet. She smiled at me and then she told me she hadn't forgotten. Was she the girl you needed to contact?" Davina whispered. "Yes. Thank you for doing this." "Just don't ever make me do that again. I feared the Spirits wouldn't let me go a second time. How did you manage that?" The girl said after she'd gulped down the entire batch. "You are a lot stronger than you know, Davina. And I have more power at my disposal than them." I said while reaching for the jet stone that still remained in the bowl. Everything else had been reduced to ashes. "I'm free now, aren't I?" "Yes." I handed her the stone, having turned it into a necklace. I helped her down from the table. "You can enter the pentacle now." I said when I saw Josh hesitate to hug his best friend.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Josh said as he pulled Davina into a hug. "What did you do?" Both Kol and Bonnie asked. "I broke her ties to the New Orleans coven." "Doesn't that mean she won't be able to practise magic anymore?" Rebekah asked. "She still can. The connection to the coven was from her mother's side. The lineage from her father isn't connected to New Orleans." "When did you figure this out?" My sister asked, looking me up and down. "Over dinner. I met some of her ancestors, she reminded me of one of them. I could hear it in her blood." I shrugged. There were rare moments when I could hear the blood of a witch sing. But when I did, I could only recognise the lineage if I had met others from the same ancestors. I looked at Davina, she was talking to Josh, checking out the room she was in.

"So, uhm, I didn't know there were going to be more people here." Davina said when she caught my eye. "Hello darling, I'm Kol." My brother made a fool out of himself by bowing and trying to grab the girl's hand, which of course, he couldn't. Shock appeared on Davina's face. "He's an Original." Josh exclaimed. "At least someone knows his history. Yes, but unfortunately, I'm currently a ghost. Eva will mend this soon, I hope. Over there you have Bonnie, she was a Bennett witch, now she holds the position of supernatural anchor, which basically means that every dead supernatural has to pass through her to enter the Other Side. The blonde is Caroline, she's a vampire and Nik likes her a lot. Next to her is Stefan Salvatore, he's a vampire as well and has a vampire brother too. Then there's a whole bunch of other people assembled here, because one of Eva's exes wants to break a curse and he needs blood of Stefan and Elena. Elena is a vampire as well, but she's also a doppelganger. Their blood is important for the ritual. There's also a hybrid here, a human, a vampire hunter, Stefan's brother, witch twins and I think that's all, right?" I stared daggers at Kol. My history with Markos was supposed to remain dead and buried. "Ex?" My sister turned to look at me. "You little lying witch. Wait until Nik finds out. _He died in the sixth century. I never met the guy. He died four hundred years before I was born._ And yet he somehow managed to get in your pants." Rebekah mocked me. "Don't tell him, please." Because if Nik ever found out what happened between us, he'd go on some quest for revenge. "What happened?" "Time travelling spell gone wrong, wound up in the sixth century. Met Markos, fell in love with him, he used me and practically left me for dead. Rox found me, nursed me back in shape." I glossed over what had actually happened. "That son of a bitch. He needs to pay." "He already has. But if Nik finds out before Markos is dead, he's going to bring a lot of pain upon himself." Rebekah nodded in understanding.

"Alright. I won't tell him, but you'll have to resolve this thing with Markos before Nik even catches a wiff of what is going on. And how come you know and covered for her?" Rebekah turned to Kol. "Don't be jealous, Beks." "I'm not jealous." But the three of us knew that wasn't true. "Yes you are. Eva usually told you all about her love life and you're annoyed that she didn't tell you even though you used to share everything. God knows how many times you exchanged stories about princes and kings. I even remember you guys talking about your first." "You eavesdropping son of a bitch." Both Beks and I said at the same time. "Don't worry, I wasn't stupid to antagonise a wolf. Though Elijah and I had to restrain Nik from starting a fight he couldn't win." "Oh god, Nik and Elijah heard?" That was embarrassing. "You should've been more careful about the place where you decide to have a little heart to heart." Kol shrugged. "It does explain Peter's broken nose. Or why he didn't want to have anything to do with me after that. For a thousand years I thought it was me, and now it turns out you just scared him off." Rebekah had every right to be pissed at them. She'd really liked Peter and she would've married him had the whole vampire thing never happened. Rebekah had been pretty upset when he called the whole thing off. "You guys will pay for what you did." Rebekah's voice was like ice. "Come, Beks, it's a thousand years ago. Surely you got over it already?" Kol simply didn't understand the gravity of the situation. Rebekah was ready to lunge herself at him, but I pulled her back. "He's incorporeal, Beks. But I'll help you plan your revenge." I felt the fight leave her body and she smiled wickedly at me. "I'm sorry, okay? It was mean and inappropriate and rude." Kol apologised, realising the gravity of the situation. "Too late, you'll get what's coming for you." Beks wasn't going to let this one slide. "But it's not fair." Kol whined. "You know what's not fair? Brothers listening in on their sisters' conversation." I replied. "Killian was left unharmed, he married you anyway." "That's because you didn't dare raise a hand because he was a werewolf." Kol hung his head in defeat. "You always did know how to pick them, Eva. Werewolves, powerful witches, kings." Beks commented.

"Eva?" Davina asked hesitantly. "Yes?" "I was wondering whether there is something to eat. I'm a bit hungry." I kind of felt bad. I'd forgotten that the others were here. "Sure, I'll show you to the kitchen. How are you feeling?" I led her downstairs. "I'm okay. A bit tired. And I feel different, lighter. Free." She said with a small smile. "That's good. You're no longer bound to the Ancestral Spirits. I can teach you how to use your magic and how to harness your power." "I'd like that." I heated some of the Mac and cheese that Beks and I had made. "You're a New Orleans witch?" Bonnie asked Davina. "I was." Davina looked at me hesitantly. "You're still one. When you're in the city, you can still call upon the powers of the Ancestors, but I doubt they'd be willing to share it. But you have your own pool to draw from now." "They only use ancestral magic?" Bonnie asked in disbelief. "It's a tradition. There is a lot of power there, it's only impractical. You leave the city and you are no longer able to use your powers unless you use a talisman, which is a real bitch to make." "It serves them right." Josh said as he joined us in the kitchen. "No fan of the New Orleans coven?" Stefan asked, sitting down next to the youngest vampire. "They sacrifice young witches to appease their ancestors." "What?" Caroline asked in disbelief. "The Harvest Ritual. Four young witches are being sacrificed, but are eventually brought back to life." Davina explained. "And since we're on the topic of that, I have to ask you something about that." I grabbed the plate from the microwave and put it in front of the young witch. She smiled at me. "I can't help you with the hijacking. I honestly have no idea how they were able to do that. I can help you with the other question you had, though."

I'm always prepared for various scenarios and Davina coming here had been one of them. I'd told Josh before I left that this could be a possibility and I had given him the tools necessary to get her here. Josh had been provided with a GPS, several letters explaining what would happen, one for him and one for Davina, and of course my phone number. I'd asked Davina about the paintings she'd made of the visions she'd had. "How about we talk about that tomorrow? You've already had a very eventful day. I'm sure- " My attention was drawn to a movement from the doorway.

There was a little girl there, she was looking at me directly. It was as if she was calling to me. "Kyra?" I whispered as I got up from my seat and followed her. She was moving really fast and it was hard to keep up with her. The little girl stopped in a burning room. And suddenly she was gone. I looked around, trying to make sense of my surroundings. I tried to subdue the fire but my magic had no effect. The flames were spreading out around me. And just when I thought the fire would envelop me, it dispersed, leaving an acorn and some belladonna in its wake. I reached out to grab it when I noticed a red spot on it. It reeked of blood. Thunder roared in the sky, lightning flashed. Looking up, I saw a black sky raining blood. I took a step back, and my foot got caught in something. I looked at the floor. It was now littered with bones that had not been there before. The blood kept pouring down. I heard whispers in the darkness. Promises of a better life, of a better future, my family back together. But I knew the cost, I wasn't going to give in. But it was tempting, oh so tempting. Images flashed of my past, my present and my future. My family, together, happy and laughing. Then it skipped to them all dead, there was blood everywhere. Another image of me holding my baby girl, Killian was there with me. I was smiling, truly happy. Then there was my dad, a wicked grin on his face. He was beating Nik and refused to stop. Then there was Esther, chanting, cursing her husband and children. I was shown a vision of our family, having dinner in this mansion. Everyone was there, my mother and father. Finn and Sage, Elijah, Katerina, Nik, Caroline, Rebekah, Kol, even Freya was there. And Killian, my dearest Killian and sweet Kyra. The three year old girl that I had lost so many centuries ago. Nadia was playing with my daughter. Roxane entered the vision, sitting down next to Freya. I saw Bonnie and Stefan as well. We were one big happy family, enjoying a dinner together. It seemed like the most ordinary thing in the world. It appeared so very real. This was something I could have. I wanted it, so bad. But then I caught Kyra's eye and she shook her head. "Don't forget me, mommy." It shook me back to reality. Her hazel eyes met mine, she was pleading. I reached out my hand to touch her face. "Kyra?" I whispered again, but she was already gone.

"Eva?" Rebekah's put her hand on my shoulder. I looked down on my hands and saw that there was blood on them. "What happened?" I asked, disoriented. I was still in the kitchen, standing in the doorway where I had first seen Kyra. "You called out for Kyra." My sister said hesitantly while guiding me to the kitchen sink. "I saw her." I whispered while trying to get the blood off my hands, not knowing where it had come from. I kept seeing the happy family dinner every time I closed my eyes. And the damn blood wouldn't get off my hands. Thunder rumbled in the sky. Lightning struck. It had been a thousand years and I still missed my daughter every single day. But what hurt the most was knowing that one day, I would see her again, because of the sacrifice that I made. I only didn't know when. And I both wished and dreaded that day. I took a deep breath, but I just couldn't calm down. The whispers kept haunting me. Baba Yaga did know how to play dirty. She had offered me everything I could ever wish for. And I felt the loss, the ache in my chest for something I would never have. The earth trembled. Tears were forming in my eyes.

"Eva, look at me." Rebekah pleaded. She lifted to my chin and forced me to look into her eyes. "It's all my fault." But my sister wouldn't accept it. She wiped away the tears. "It was never your fault, Eva. None of this is." But I stubbornly shook my head. "You don't get. How could you even begin to understand? I lied, I kept things from you. I've killed them."


	7. Chapter 7

**Mikaelson living room**

"She's crazy." Tyler said when Eva had left them to talk to someone on her phone. "Crazy or not, she's too powerful to be messed with. She healed from a wound that would've killed a mortal." Stefan countered. "If we have to believe her, she's old, like almost as old as the Originals. Also, she says that she has killed her family." Damon added to the argument. "She cares for Rebekah. There is an easiness between them, a dynamic that can only have grown out of spending many years together." Matt stated. "So, we just wait and hope she doesn't kill us?" Jeremy asked. "You heard her, she promised Elijah she wouldn't kill anyone. Let's hope that she's a woman of her word." Caroline answered.

"She died." Elena said, listening in on the conversation the witch was having with Klaus over the phone. "The girl mentioned it to Rebekah as well. She's hiding something from the Mikaelson's." Matt added. "Is she Klaus' girlfriend or something?" Damon wondered, while looking at the blonde vampire.

Kol listened as the group was debating what to do next. "If I may give some advice. Just hear her out. She's not very patient and she lives by her own rules, one of them being quid pro quo. Anything you do to her or those she cares about, you can expect she'll avenge it. Respect the ground rules she has laid out and you'll be fine. Eva is a woman of her word." Kol said to the group, hoping that for once, they wouldn't be too stubborn.

"Alright. We'll just wait and see what she wants." Bonnie concluded. It was the best approach. It didn't take long before Eva and Rebekah entered the room, carrying some refreshments for everyone.

"You've been a bad host, Eva. You shouldn't keep people waiting." Kol said as I entered the living room. "We're making up for it by bringing some snacks. Besides, stabbing the hostesses isn't exactly good guest behaviour." Rebekah answered Kol. "You can see him?" Jeremy asked in disbelief. "Eva did a spell." Kol explained.

"You're free to leave, but the Bennett girl stays." I looked at the people one by one. Caroline was with them. It had been so long since I'd seen her. But she didn't recognise me. There was Elena, flanked by a Salvatore sibling on either side. There was Luke, standing with his twin. Jeremy, Tyler and Matt were also present. Finally, my eyes fell on the person I had actually come to meet.

"Who are you?" Bonnie asked. "I'm Evanna, but most people just call me Eva. And you are Bonnie Bennett. I know one of your ancestors. I also met your grandmother. I'm sorry about your loss. She was a kind and loving person." "Thank you." She didn't waver, she looked me straight in the eye. Roxane would be proud, she had the Bennett spirit. "Actually, we have some questions as well." Elena said. "Why don't you start, then?" I suggested. I sat down next to Rebekah. It was a good thing we had such a spacious living room that everyone could actually be seated. I was surprised that no one had left, though. "I'm waiting." I said as no one opened their mouths.

"Since none of you are going to talk, I'll just say something instead. I heard you have a bit of a Traveler problem. How has that been going?" Everyone turned to look at me. "They took care of themselves. Just burnt themselves and bye bye Travelers." Damon answered. "That's good, right Eva?" I could feel Beks eyes on me. "You killed the doppelganger, didn't you?" I directed at Stefan. "How do you know about that?" "Like I said, I know a lot more about this than you do. And your Traveler problem is probably far from being solved."

"Eva, no offence, but the doppelganger is sitting right there." "I was talking about Stefan's doppelganger." Rebekah looked at me in shock. "You lost me here." "I'll explain later, but first, Bonnie, did anything pass through from the Other Side while the Travelers died?" If something did get through, it might complicate things a little bit. "I don't know. It could be. It just hurt a lot." "Markos?" Kol asked. "Probably." "Wait, you mentioned him before. The Traveler from the fifth century or so?" Rebekah deduced. "The one and only."

"Who's Markos?" Bonnie asked. "How about we find out whether or not he's truly back." I got up from the couch and walked over to Bonnie. "I'm going to need to dive into your memories." "You what?" The girl asked. "In order to know for sure whether Markos is truly back on this side, I need to find out if he passed through you." "What makes you think he passed through?" Caroline wondered. I turned towards her. "I've had some dealings with Travelers in the past. Markos was their leader way back in the fifth century. He was also one of the most powerful Travelers of all time. You said that the Travelers spontaneously combusted while they were chanting. By dying all at once, they overwhelmed the anchor, weakening the veil. Someone could have passed through." I explained. "Will it hurt?" I looked at Bonnie. She was still recovering from the dead of the Travelers. And Roxane would be furious if she ever found out that I hurt one of her descendants when I could've easily averted it. "No." I said, deciding to shield her from it. There was no need for Bonnie to live through that pain twice. "May I?" I asked, holding out my hands. Bonnie got up.

I placed my hands on her head and closed my eyes. "I need you to recall the night when the Travelers died." She nodded and I slipped into her mind, easily finding the memory. I cried out, feeling their deaths wash over me. I heard my sister's voice in the background, but I shook my head. I was almost there. In the memory, Bonnie had eventually passed out. And that was when I had to become creative. I focused on transporting myself there, in that memory, and break out of Bonnie's remembrance of the moment. That was when I saw Markos. He was back.

I let go of Bonnie's head and stepped back. Rebekah was immediately by my side. "Are you okay?" "Yeah. The dead passing though is not my favourite experience." I gratefully drank from the glass she offered me. I looked at Bonnie in a new light and decided that I would do whatever I could to make this better for her. "So, what's the verdict?" Kol asked. "He's back." "That's bloody fantastic." Rebekah remarked. "Let's throw a party." Damon commented. "What does he want?" Bonnie asked. I looked from Elena to Stefan. "He needs the doppelgangers. For now, you'll stay here." It wasn't up for discussion. "What does he want with us?" "Your blood, in order to perform a spell, he'll need to use your blood." And I sure as hell wasn't planning on giving that to him. "What are we going to do about him?" "Nothing. You are way out of your league. Markos is almost as powerful as Qetsiyah was. You'll be safe here. We'll deal with him later. First I need answers to my questions and Davina will also be arriving soon and gods know I'm going to have some work with her." I didn't give any other explanation.

"Fine, what can we help you with?" "I need to know some more about resurrection spells. I've been told that you may know a few." I directed it at Bonnie. "You want to bring the Originals back to life?" Caroline made the logical deduction. "Yes." "In that case, we can't help you." Jeremy responded. "I don't think that it's your decision to make." I said to the boy. "You do realise that in order to bring them back, you'd need access to immense power. You might even die." Bonnie warned. "I know that magic comes with a price, Bonnie." "There's one spell that you can use to resurrect someone, but then the parent needs to die. There are two others, one of them resulted in my death and I used expression, the other was with the help of the spirits. It was black magic." I could use the child parent spell, now that I knew that Markos was back. The spirits weren't that big a fan of me and they sure as hell won't let me use their powers to bring the Originals back. And expression, well, I hated that, so that was also a no go. "Could you write them down, please?" I handed her a piece of paper and a pen.

I looked at the spells she gave me.

 _Victas Phesmatis Ex Eleto. Revertas Phesmatis Ut Victas. Victas Phesmatis Ex Eleto. Revertas Phesmatis Ut Victas._

 _Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Ravenus On Animum. Phasmatos Raverus On Animum._

 _Phasmatos Tribum Melan Veras Raddiam Onu Pavadus Ponemus_

"The first one is the one I used with the help of the Spirits, the second one performed using Expression and the last one is to link someone to another and when one dies, that person is revived by the life force of the other." Bonnie explained. Of course, they were in Latin, typically something for Bennett witches. "Are they of any use?" Kol asked, looking over my shoulder to read the spells. "Maybe." "You think the Spirits will help you?" Bonnie asked, looking from me to Kol. "Probably not. We've never got along."

"You have what you came here for, you can let us go now." Tyler said, walking over to the door. "You may go, the doppelgangers stay." "We have done just fine without you, thank you very much." I heard my sister sigh from behind me. "Why are you even protecting them, Eva? If they don't want our help, why give it?" "It's not about their wellbeing, Beks. It's self-preservation. Markos wants to lift the curse that was placed on his kind so many centuries ago. If he succeeds, the order of nature will change. Vampires will revert back to their human forms, witches won't be able to practice magic except for Pure Magic. I can't let that happen."

"How do you know so much about these Travelers?" Liv asked. "Because I've looked outside my own niche and learnt a lot about magic during my lifetime." It was then that I got a message from Roxane. It contained two words. _Gemini Coven_. I turned from Luke back to Liv. "Question is, how come you don't?" I shot back at Liv. I knew of the Gemini Coven and what they could do. "I have no idea what you are talking about." "Really? Let me spell it out for you then. The Gemini Coven?" I heard Kol suck in a breath behind me. "No way? You're related to Kai?" Kol stared at the twins, trying to find a resemblance to his former buddy. "Gemini Coven?" Bonnie wondered. It was clear from the confused faces of everyone else that they had no clue either. I looked at Liv, waiting for her to explain.

"We were sent her to protect you from the Travelers. Eva is right, the doppelgangers are important to the Travelers and the Anchor is also a very interesting player in whatever is going to occur next. A leader is always chosen out of twins, who merge their powers into one." That was putting it nicely. "So, you knew who we were? All this time, I thought I was helping you. Why didn't you tell us?" Bonnie asked, sounding hurt and angry. "We had orders." Luke defended his sister's actions. "Look, the Gemini Coven is not your enemy, though I doubt they were only here to protect. These witches were tasked with keeping track of the Travelers and stop anything like this from happening. They are here to keep the balance of nature." "Which is why we can't let you bring the Originals back from the dead." Liv seemed to have found her strength, it was probably due to the fact that she didn't need to hide her lineage. Kol laughed at the young witch. "She has Kai's spirit. I take it your the stronger one. Girl Power and all that, good for you. But, I had to break it to you, darling, but when Eva is intent on doing something, it's going to happen. And you won't be able to stop her." Kol directed at the girl. I repeated it, since she couldn't see him. "Can't you do something about this, Eva? It's annoying to be invisible. My words lose their power because you have to repeat them, no offense to you." I bit on my lip, trying to come up with something. I grabbed the stone and focused on enhancing the effect it had. "Phasmatos Obscuram, Ex Luces Estnes Qua Umbres. Natus Ignavum Evitem. Phasmatos Obscuram, Ex Luces Estnes Qua Umbres." I felt the magic flow merge with the spell. "Did it work?" Kol asked, looking around. "It did." Caroline commented. He moved in for a high five with the blonde, but she just stared at him.

"You still can't bring them back permanently." Luke repeated his sister's warning. "I think I like this Gemini Coven." Tyler said, moving closer to the twins. "You still don't get it, do you? You are no match for her." Kol said. "We have a coven." Luke threw at my brother. "A coven? You have what? Four members? And without Kai, you're really not much of a challenge." Kol joked. "We are still the Gemini Coven and our father can stop her." Liv countered. "Ah, daddy dearest. How is he? If you do call him, tell him I said hi." I had known Joshua Parker for some time, and I knew what Liv meant by stop me. I would actually love to see him try. "You know our father?" "Yes, I helped him back in 1994. And while a prison world might be a bit of a challenge, I doubt it would serve its purpose where I am concerned."

"Okay, can we just stop talking about magic. I've had my fair share of it for a couple of days." Rebekah complained. "We're only just beginning, Bekah." "So what, there's another magical emergency on its way here?" Rebekah shook her head when she noticed my face. "Don't. I don't want to know." "Your brain can't handle the overload of information?" Kol teased. "If you've had lived through my past couple of days you would've wanted a break." "What? A road trip with Eva? Eva coming back from the dead? You being killed twice?" Kol knew he was getting on his sister's nerves and he was enjoying every minute of it. Rebekah was close to snapping. Time to change the subject. "Alright, since Stefan and Elena are going to remain here until we've dealt with Markos, who else is staying?" "Nik won't be happy that you're inviting them to stay." Rebekah huffed. "He's not here, is he? Besides, it's the family mansion." "Fine. Just as long as one of them cleans up the blood in the hallway." Rebekah relented.

"What are you going to do about Markos?" Caroline inquired. "You don't need to worry about that for the moment." "How do we know that we can trust you?" Stefan asked, getting up from the couch. "You don't. All I can tell you is that I promise you to keep you safe. Anyone who stays here will be under my protection during their stay. It might not mean much to you, but I do keep my word. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get some things ready. Feel free to roam around the estate. I put a protection spell on it, stopping anyone from leaving or from coming in." "And with roam around, she means stay out of our rooms. Why don't I give you a tour." Rebekah offered.

"Can I ask you something?" Bonnie had decided to forgo the tour and remained here with me. "Go ahead." I motioned for her to follow me. "Kol mentioned that you might be able to help me out with my anchor problem." I went to my wing, where there was a room, filled with necessities for spells. Nik had even thought of that. Or maybe it had been Esther who had made use of this place while she was here last. "I might." I said while grabbing some candles and positioning them around the table. "How did you know my grandmother? You hardly seem her age." "Looks can be deceiving. I met your grandmother way back in the seventies. Sheila was always very in tune with nature. She didn't always like the company I kept, nor did she appreciate my rather rash and violent attitude. Last time I saw her was in the nineties. Sheila was allied with the Gemini Coven." I had liked Sheila, we hadn't always seen eye to eye about certain things, but I held her in high regards. "She knew about your connection to the Originals?" I moved around the room, trying to find some chalk. "She knew and didn't like it. Or maybe that had more to do with me, though I liked to think that she started warming up to me in the end." Kol answered the former witch. "I thought you were in a coffin back then." "Luckily I know people in all the right places." Kol said with a wink. I had finally found some chalk. Nik's organisational skills were extremely poor when it came to the necessities of a witch. "Eva, what are you doing?" Kol asked, looking at me drawing a pentagram. "I'm drawing a pentagram, Kol." "I can see that. You're up to something." "If you hadn't figured that out by now, you're an even bigger idiot than I believed possible." My sister said from the doorway.

"Tour's over?" I asked, only Caroline and Stefan had followed Rebekah here. "Dumped them in the guest wing. They have drinks and recreation. There's only so far I'm willing to go for people that have attempted to kill me twice in one day." Rebekah said as she entered the room. "I can't believe Nik didn't tell me he built you a wing." Beks said, looking around. "Probably didn't want to bring it up. You know how he is." I shrugged. It was typically Nik, he had the emotional range of a teaspoon. "Yeah, he's pretty great at compartmentalising. Then again, it's a family trait." Rebekah gave me a look that left nothing to question. "My emotions affect weather conditions." "You're not fifteen anymore, Eva." Kol chastised. I was searching the room, trying to find some rope. "Looking for something?" Kol asked. "No Kol, I just feel like ransacking an entire room." I finally found a rope.

"Excuse me, Eva, but uhm, I was wondering..." Caroline trailed, it was clear she didn't want to ask whatever was bothering her. "No, Nik and I are not romantically involved, if that is what you wanted to know." I said, remembering very well what had transpired in the past. I saw a small blush appear on Caroline's cheeks. "Oh, that wasn't it. It's just, you died, right? I didn't mean to listen in or anything, but how come you are back?" "Yes, Eva, how come you got a free ride and we all have to wait for you to figure out how to bring us back?" Kol crossed his arm and tried to look intimidating. "There are things that have been set in motion a very long time ago. I'm just part of the unravelling of the strands that were knotted together millennia ago." I had started mixing the herbs together in order to make a potion. "Ah yes, the mysterious destiny." My sister commented sceptically. "It doesn't bode well to insult the Ancients, sister." Stefan stepped forward. "I have a feeling there is a lot more going on than you are willing to share." I smiled at him. "If you stick around and behave, I might just let you in on a little secret." "I know it is rude to ask, but how old are you?" Caroline jumped in. "I'm about a thousand years old."

"How is that even possible? It goes against nature, witches aren't supposed to be immortal." Bonnie exclaimed. "It's all rather relative, don't you think? Vampires came into existence because Esther wanted to protect her family from the werewolves. She wanted to make them stronger. The immortality was a side effect, but it happened nonetheless. Qetsiyah created an immortality spell, to be with the one she loved forever. And before her, others attempted the same. It's not as uncommon as one might think. Everything is possible, as long as you're willing to pay the price." "What price did you have to pay?" Stefan inquired. "A high price." I didn't explain, because even my siblings didn't know the jest of what exactly led to me becoming what I am now. "Eva likes her secrets." Kol commented. "And yet you all trust her." Stefan sounded a bit sceptic about that. "Betting my life on it." Kol joked.

Bonnie walked around the room and came to stand by me as I was making another potion. "Who taught you how to use your magic?" "Several witches. My mother for one, even though she'd rather have little to do with me. She tried, I guess. There was another witch where I grew up, she taught me the basics. But she didn't really know how to guide me further. I was an enigma to her. Then there's Roxane. I don't know where I'd be without her. If you're willing to listen and to participate, you can learn a lot from other witches as well. It's a process."

"Aren't witches supposed to have an aversion from vampires?" Caroline asked. "I grew up with them, so I never really had much of a problem with it. I need blood to survive and I've killed people as well. Don't be fooled by my appearance." Bonnie took a step back. "Aren't you supposed to honour nature and adhere to the Rede as a witch?" "Ah yes, _an it harm none, do what thou wilt._ The Bible says the same. In fact doesn't every religion have this ideal? Harm none, followed by a list of exceptions? It's all ways to regulate a society. And yes, you shouldn't kill people, you should try to be good and treat others with respect, but what's the point? What's the point in being good when you've got so much anger and pain inside of you? When everything you have once loved is taken away from you? What's it all worth when you wake up in a puddle of blood one day, not even knowing where the hell it came from? So, yes, I killed people because I was miserable and sad. I killed people because I liked to watch them suffer. Hell, I might even just destroy the world out of spite." I never had much of a problem with who I had become. Rebekah and Kol didn't even blink when I said that. They knew me.

"Do you have a switch or something? How can you do that to people?" Caroline asked in outrage. "I have a humanity switch, but it's not turned off. You're so young. All of you are. Nik always talks about how love is a vampire's greatest weakness, but it's not. It's that damn switch, because it's so damn complicated. It's not just a simple on or off. You should think of this switch as a light board or soundboard. You can change the intensity, alter the volume so to speak, of your feelings. No one's humanity switch is completely on. When you become a vampire, everything is heightened. Your emotions are all over the place. And as if by instinct, you turn it off, just a little bit. Because no one can handle everything they're feeling all at once. Gradually, you become more adapt at changing tunes, at switching emotions. That's why you're so young and why you have so much to learn. It takes vampires centuries to learn how to control that. Maybe that's why you perceived the Originals as evil, because they have become more adapt at managing their humanity. If you had lived a thousand years, you might not find it as easy to hold onto your humanity. You lose pieces of yourself over the centuries, until there's not much left of you. And sometimes, you need someone reminding you who you are. You need to remember the person, the human, that you have been once. This switch, it's our weakness. It makes us forget. But sometimes, we got to push back, change it up. I feel guilt, I know what I did to those people, I forced myself to live through their last moments. I've relived some of them as well. Over the centuries, I learnt to be more specific about my kills. But still, the darkness can be very tempting. And sometimes, I let it in." I remembered that night, so many centuries, when we all sat down together, as a family. I had even managed to talk Nik into letting Finn out of his coffin. I asked him to stay and listen. I told them about the switch, about the darkness. About the choices we could make. Silence hung in the room for a moment. I was preparing a bowl with some more herbs and set it on the table.

"It's not an excuse." Caroline whispered. Kol continued. "Of course it's not. But that's not what Eva meant. The world isn't black and white, darling. It's varying shades of grey. Actions itself are amoral. It's all about how you perceive them. You are the person who adds the morality to the action. You're taught to abhor violence and killing. And maybe it is bad, but I have seen so many things, things you can't even imagine. Things you will never know. People often do bad things without realising what they are doing. The bad guy usually perceives themselves as a hero in their own head. They believe that what they are doing is for the best. How do you think the Spanish conquistadors were able to kill so many indigenous people? Or what about the slave trade? Or colonialism? Exploiting other people? Torture? Flaying people? Burning witches at the stake? All humans are capable of terrible things. They don't have that switch, and some of them have lived some great lives without having to turn off their guilt. Were they psychopaths? Sociopaths? Crazy? Maybe, but maybe not. You killed twelve witches to save your friend. If you had the same choice would you do it again?"

"I'd always chose Bonnie, but that's different. I was saving someone's life." "One life and twelve dead." Rebekah added. "And yet you learn to live with it." Rebekah said when Caroline didn't respond. She wasn't entirely getting the point, but how could she? She was still so close to her human life. Rebekah and Kol understood why I did the things I did, same way I knew why Kol had an interest in witches and wasn't shy of raising some hell or why Rebekah fell in love so easily, why she was so willing to give her heart to someone. "Still doesn't mean I don't feel guilty." Caroline threw back. I sighed, maybe I should help her understand. She would find out sooner or later. Maybe this way, she could get used to the idea. "It's not about feeling guilt. It's about the fact that you have killed and you will do it again. It's unavoidable. One day, you'll have to chose between your life and that of someone else, you'll have to chose between friend or stranger. The stranger would lose most likely. I've done terrible things, and I might be a monster, but I've saved people as well. I try to be better, but it's hard. I have all this power, I am like a goddess walking among humankind. I have the power to give life and to take it away. And it's lonely sometimes. So killing people, living though their last moments, seeing that look in their eyes realising they're going to die and see their regrets, wishes, hopes and dreams, it's as honest as it gets. And it makes me feel alive. Because in the end, I have forever, my time is infinite. But life only gets meaning because it comes to an end. That's what being human is about, it's realising that your life will one day end. They have hopes and dreams, they try to achieve as much as they can, because they know that one day they will not be around anymore. Their life is finite. But as a vampire you could theoretically live forever, so how do you find meaning in your existence?" I wasn't expecting an answer to that question, because honestly, there was none. Every vampire tried to find meaning in their existence, whether it'd be love, bloodshed, family or whatever else made them feel alive. Elijah found it in family, Nik in making everyone as miserable as he is and keeping everyone as close as possible simply out of fear of being left alone. Finn found it in his morals, his love for Sage.

I heard a car pull up. "You're expecting someone?" Stefan asked. "Davina?" Rebekah inquired. "Probably."

"Eva, she's barely breathing." Josh yelled while getting out of the car. I immediately dropped the barriers to let him through. I made my way down the stairs and found a panicked Josh carrying an unconscious Davina. "When?" I asked as I led Josh upstairs. "She started to feel faint as soon as we left New Orleans, just as you expected, it was only when we entered Mystic Falls that she lost consciousness. Is she going to be okay?" I motioned for Josh to put her down on the table I had prepared. "Yes." I said without hesitation. Too much was riding on this. "What's wrong with her?" "I'll explain it once she's back."

"Everyone stay out of the pentagram." I said as I started chanting, lighting the five candles, calling on the elements. This was a dangerous thing I was attempting and it had to be done right. Grabbing the smudge stick I'd made earlier, I lighted it. The room filled with the scent of sage and sandalwood. Then I took the first potion and smeared it on Davina's brow. I tied Davina's wrist to mine and knotted the rope.

 _Verba audite_

 _Voca te_

 _In mentem devenit_

 _Animus sanguinis mei_

I sprinkled some blood on the lily of the valley I'd put in the bowl and set it on fire.

 _Quae perdita est_ , _inveniam te_

 _Sequitas sanguine, lilium convallium_

Davina's breathing had slowed down, she was in a comatose state now. I continued chanting the two last lines. Timing was of the essence here. If I left her like this for too long, she'd die, I pull her back to soon, all of this would've been for nothing. The lily was almost reduced to ashes. I took a small strand of Davina's hair, a drop of her blood and put it in the second bowl with the fir, hawthorn, rowan, blessed thistle, rosemary and mandrake. I set fire to a jet stone and dropped it into the bowl.

 _Tempus fit_

 _Eam demitte_

 _Tibi impero_

A small wind went through the room, I could hear the whispers of the Spirits. They weren't pleased. Davina's body started to contract.. Seems like the Spirits didn't want to let go of her. I continued my chant.

 _Referte, referte_

 _Finite._

With that last world, the candles extinguished and a final cry of the Spirits pierced the room. Davina stirred, then she woke up, gasping for air. "It's okay, you're okay." I said, giving the second potion to the girl to drink. It was just to calm her down. She had a wild look in her eyes, a mixture of fear and pain. I could only imagine what she had gone through. "There was a girl, she was in chains, but alive. There was a flower by her feet. She smiled at me and then she told me she hadn't forgotten. Was she the girl you needed to contact?" Davina whispered. "Yes. Thank you for doing this." "Just don't ever make me do that again. I feared the Spirits wouldn't let me go a second time. How did you manage that?" The girl said after she'd gulped down the entire batch. "You are a lot stronger than you know, Davina. And I have more power at my disposal than them." I said while reaching for the jet stone that still remained in the bowl. Everything else had been reduced to ashes. "I'm free now, aren't I?" "Yes." I handed her the stone, having turned it into a necklace. I helped her down from the table. "You can enter the pentacle now." I said when I saw Josh hesitate to hug his best friend.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Josh said as he pulled Davina into a hug. "What did you do?" Both Kol and Bonnie asked. "I broke her ties to the New Orleans coven." "Doesn't that mean she won't be able to practise magic anymore?" Rebekah asked. "She still can. The connection to the coven was from her mother's side. The lineage from her father isn't connected to New Orleans." "When did you figure this out?" My sister asked, looking me up and down. "Over dinner. I met some of her ancestors, she reminded me of one of them. I could hear it in her blood." I shrugged. There were rare moments when I could hear the blood of a witch sing. But when I did, I could only recognise the lineage if I had met others from the same ancestors. I looked at Davina, she was talking to Josh, checking out the room she was in.

"So, uhm, I didn't know there were going to be more people here." Davina said when she caught my eye. "Hello darling, I'm Kol." My brother made a fool out of himself by bowing and trying to grab the girl's hand, which of course, he couldn't. Shock appeared on Davina's face. "He's an Original." Josh exclaimed. "At least someone knows his history. Yes, but unfortunately, I'm currently a ghost. Eva will mend this soon, I hope. Over there you have Bonnie, she was a Bennett witch, now she holds the position of supernatural anchor, which basically means that every dead supernatural has to pass through her to enter the Other Side. The blonde is Caroline, she's a vampire and Nik likes her a lot. Next to her is Stefan Salvatore, he's a vampire as well and has a vampire brother too. Then there's a whole bunch of other people assembled here, because one of Eva's exes wants to break a curse and he needs blood of Stefan and Elena. Elena is a vampire as well, but she's also a doppelganger. Their blood is important for the ritual. There's also a hybrid here, a human, a vampire hunter, Stefan's brother, witch twins and I think that's all, right?" I stared daggers at Kol. My history with Markos was supposed to remain dead and buried. "Ex?" My sister turned to look at me. "You little lying witch. Wait until Nik finds out. _He died in the sixth century. I never met the guy. He died four hundred years before I was born._ And yet he somehow managed to get in your pants." Rebekah mocked me. "Don't tell him, please." Because if Nik ever found out what happened between us, he'd go on some quest for revenge. "What happened?" "Time travelling spell gone wrong, wound up in the sixth century. Met Markos, fell in love with him, he used me and practically left me for dead. Rox found me, nursed me back in shape." I glossed over what had actually happened. "That son of a bitch. He needs to pay." "He already has. But if Nik finds out before Markos is dead, he's going to bring a lot of pain upon himself." Rebekah nodded in understanding.

"Alright. I won't tell him, but you'll have to resolve this thing with Markos before Nik even catches a wiff of what is going on. And how come you know and covered for her?" Rebekah turned to Kol. "Don't be jealous, Beks." "I'm not jealous." But the three of us knew that wasn't true. "Yes you are. Eva usually told you all about her love life and you're annoyed that she didn't tell you even though you used to share everything. God knows how many times you exchanged stories about princes and kings. I even remember you guys talking about your first." "You eavesdropping son of a bitch." Both Beks and I said at the same time. "Don't worry, I wasn't stupid to antagonise a wolf. Though Elijah and I had to restrain Nik from starting a fight he couldn't win." "Oh god, Nik and Elijah heard?" That was embarrassing. "You should've been more careful about the place where you decide to have a little heart to heart." Kol shrugged. "It does explain Peter's broken nose. Or why he didn't want to have anything to do with me after that. For a thousand years I thought it was me, and now it turns out you just scared him off." Rebekah had every right to be pissed at them. She'd really liked Peter and she would've married him had the whole vampire thing never happened. Rebekah had been pretty upset when he called the whole thing off. "You guys will pay for what you did." Rebekah's voice was like ice. "Come, Beks, it's a thousand years ago. Surely you got over it already?" Kol simply didn't understand the gravity of the situation. Rebekah was ready to lunge herself at him, but I pulled her back. "He's incorporeal, Beks. But I'll help you plan your revenge." I felt the fight leave her body and she smiled wickedly at me. "I'm sorry, okay? It was mean and inappropriate and rude." Kol apologised, realising the gravity of the situation. "Too late, you'll get what's coming for you." Beks wasn't going to let this one slide. "But it's not fair." Kol whined. "You know what's not fair? Brothers listening in on their sisters' conversation." I replied. "Killian was left unharmed, he married you anyway." "That's because you didn't dare raise a hand because he was a werewolf." Kol hung his head in defeat. "You always did know how to pick them, Eva. Werewolves, powerful witches, kings." Beks commented.

"Eva?" Davina asked hesitantly. "Yes?" "I was wondering whether there is something to eat. I'm a bit hungry." I kind of felt bad. I'd forgotten that the others were here. "Sure, I'll show you to the kitchen. How are you feeling?" I led her downstairs. "I'm okay. A bit tired. And I feel different, lighter. Free." She said with a small smile. "That's good. You're no longer bound to the Ancestral Spirits. I can teach you how to use your magic and how to harness your power." "I'd like that." I heated some of the Mac and cheese that Beks and I had made. "You're a New Orleans witch?" Bonnie asked Davina. "I was." Davina looked at me hesitantly. "You're still one. When you're in the city, you can still call upon the powers of the Ancestors, but I doubt they'd be willing to share it. But you have your own pool to draw from now." "They only use ancestral magic?" Bonnie asked in disbelief. "It's a tradition. There is a lot of power there, it's only impractical. You leave the city and you are no longer able to use your powers unless you use a talisman, which is a real bitch to make." "It serves them right." Josh said as he joined us in the kitchen. "No fan of the New Orleans coven?" Stefan asked, sitting down next to the youngest vampire. "They sacrifice young witches to appease their ancestors." "What?" Caroline asked in disbelief. "The Harvest Ritual. Four young witches are being sacrificed, but are eventually brought back to life." Davina explained. "And since we're on the topic of that, I have to ask you something about that." I grabbed the plate from the microwave and put it in front of the young witch. She smiled at me. "I can't help you with the hijacking. I honestly have no idea how they were able to do that. I can help you with the other question you had, though."

I'm always prepared for various scenarios and Davina coming here had been one of them. I'd told Josh before I left that this could be a possibility and I had given him the tools necessary to get her here. Josh had been provided with a GPS, several letters explaining what would happen, one for him and one for Davina, and of course my phone number. I'd asked Davina about the paintings she'd made of the visions she'd had. "How about we talk about that tomorrow? You've already had a very eventful day. I'm sure- " My attention was drawn to a movement from the doorway.

There was a little girl there, she was looking at me directly. It was as if she was calling to me. "Kyra?" I whispered as I got up from my seat and followed her. She was moving really fast and it was hard to keep up with her. The little girl stopped in a burning room. And suddenly she was gone. I looked around, trying to make sense of my surroundings. I tried to subdue the fire but my magic had no effect. The flames were spreading out around me. And just when I thought the fire would envelop me, it dispersed, leaving an acorn and some belladonna in its wake. I reached out to grab it when I noticed a red spot on it. It reeked of blood. Thunder roared in the sky, lightning flashed. Looking up, I saw a black sky raining blood. I took a step back, and my foot got caught in something. I looked at the floor. It was now littered with bones that had not been there before. The blood kept pouring down. I heard whispers in the darkness. Promises of a better life, of a better future, my family back together. But I knew the cost, I wasn't going to give in. But it was tempting, oh so tempting. Images flashed of my past, my present and my future. My family, together, happy and laughing. Then it skipped to them all dead, there was blood everywhere. Another image of me holding my baby girl, Killian was there with me. I was smiling, truly happy. Then there was my dad, a wicked grin on his face. He was beating Nik and refused to stop. Then there was Esther, chanting, cursing her husband and children. I was shown a vision of our family, having dinner in this mansion. Everyone was there, my mother and father. Finn and Sage, Elijah, Katerina, Nik, Caroline, Rebekah, Kol, even Freya was there. And Killian, my dearest Killian and sweet Kyra. The three year old girl that I had lost so many centuries ago. Nadia was playing with my daughter. Roxane entered the vision, sitting down next to Freya. I saw Bonnie and Stefan as well. We were one big happy family, enjoying a dinner together. It seemed like the most ordinary thing in the world. It appeared so very real. This was something I could have. I wanted it, so bad. But then I caught Kyra's eye and she shook her head. "Don't forget me, mommy." It shook me back to reality. Her hazel eyes met mine, she was pleading. I reached out my hand to touch her face. "Kyra?" I whispered again, but she was already gone.

"Eva?" Rebekah's put her hand on my shoulder. I looked down on my hands and saw that there was blood on them. "What happened?" I asked, disoriented. I was still in the kitchen, standing in the doorway where I had first seen Kyra. "You called out for Kyra." My sister said hesitantly while guiding me to the kitchen sink. "I saw her." I whispered while trying to get the blood off my hands, not knowing where it had come from. I kept seeing the happy family dinner every time I closed my eyes. And the damn blood wouldn't get off my hands. Thunder rumbled in the sky. Lightning struck. It had been a thousand years and I still missed my daughter every single day. But what hurt the most was knowing that one day, I would see her again, because of the sacrifice that I made. I only didn't know when. And I both wished and dreaded that day. I took a deep breath, but I just couldn't calm down. The whispers kept haunting me. Baba Yaga did know how to play dirty. She had offered me everything I could ever wish for. And I felt the loss, the ache in my chest for something I would never have. The earth trembled. Tears were forming in my eyes.

"Eva, look at me." Rebekah pleaded. She lifted to my chin and forced me to look into her eyes. "It's all my fault." But my sister wouldn't accept it. She wiped away the tears. "It was never your fault, Eva. None of this is." But I stubbornly shook my head. "You don't get. How could you even begin to understand? I lied, I kept things from you. I've killed them."


	8. Chapter 8

Rebekah froze as her sister whispered that one name. Rebekah heard the pain, fear, loss and love all wrapped into one name. Kyra. Her niece she never got to hold. She hadn't had the chance to be by her sister's child when the little baby girl was born. "What is happening?" Stefan asked, noticing the concerned look on both Kol and Rebekah's faces. "A vision?" Rebekah said hesitantly, looking at Kol for answers. "This is something different, I think. She's seeing Kyra." Kol watched his little sister reach out for someone invisible. He wished he knew what was happening. "Is she dying?" Rebekah whispered, not wanting to lose her sister so soon after getting her back. "No. She never saw Kyra here. She also never searched for her either. It's like Eva knew that she wouldn't be on the Other Side." "Who's Kyra?" Davina inquired. "Eva's daughter." Bekah answered. "It feels weird." Davina said as she approached Evanna. Rebekah caught up with her before she was too close the her sister. "Keep your distance. Eva can be rather unpredictable when she's like this. A couple of days ago she snapped Nik's neck." Rebekah warned the girl.

"He let her live?" Stefan asked in disbelief. "Of course he did. She's family." Kol said in annoyance. There was something strange happening. "Is this Markos?" Bonnie inquired. "No, that's not his style. Besides, Eva knows how to resist his mind tricks." "Then what is it?" Caroline asked, not for the first time wishing she had taken Klaus up on that offer to join him in New Orleans. At least there she wouldn't have to deal with all this Mystic Falls craziness. She scolded herself immediately, she should not go there. But before any of them could answer, Eva whispered Kyra's name again. Only this time sounded more like a plea, a broken promise, laced with guilt and wishes for things that never were.

Rebekah reached out and placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder, gently saying her name. It was then that she noticed the blood on her sister's hand. What the hell had happened? It was the same question Eva asked. Stefan watched as Rebekah tried to console the girl who was obviously in a very questionable state. He understood what Matt had meant when he said that Rebekah cared for the girl. It was a side he had never seen in Rebekah.

Evanna's frustration was starting to show. Kol noticed it seconds before the first bolt of lightning struck. "Here we go." Kol said, more to himself than to anyone else. Whatever she had seen, it had shaken her to her very core. He wondered how they were going to get her to calm down without destabilising her even more. Worst case scenario, they killed her. Kol just hoped it wouldn't come to that. He'd only done it once and it had taken him two days to recover. It had been one of the hardest things to do. Eva had some sort of protection around her that made it close to impossible to breach her defences and get her to stop influencing the weather conditions. At least she had felt sorry for him when she'd come back.

"That's not normal." Damon said as the earth was shaking, a storm was raging outside. "What the hell is happening?" Elena asked, looking around the room. "It's magic." Liv whispered, not knowing who would have the power to do that. "Markos?" Luke suggested, knowing why his sister was panicking. The vampires picked up Rebekah's plea from downstairs. "Seems like the witch is the source of this." Tyler said, following the others to the source. Rebekah was consoling a very distraught Evanna, who seemed to be losing it completely. Kol wished he could put his arm around Eva and tell her that it was okay. But all he could do was stand next to Bekah and watch her break down. Just as she had with Elijah a couple of days ago, but this time her powers were changing the weather conditions. "It's okay, Eva. We forgive you." But it didn't work, she shook Bekah's touch of. This was classic Eva, pushing everyone away, not admitting that she actually needed them.

The earth started to shake more violently, yet the building remained standing. It was probably due to Eva's magic protecting. Caroline watched the girl and suddenly without thinking, she stepped forward and slapped her in the face. It had somehow seemed like a good idea. And maybe it was, because the earth stopped shaking.

I felt a slap in my face. My jaw broke, breaking me out of my reverie. I reigned in my powers, shuffled my switch around some more and focussed back on reality. I could make out blue eyes and light blond hair. Caroline. I reset my jaw and looked at the baby vampire. She looked abhorred, yet slightly relieved. I laughed at her expression. She still didn't remember, but it had been instinctive, maybe her subconscious had somehow propelled her to do the same thing Katherine had done so many centuries ago to get me back in control. Everyone else was puzzled by my sudden change of tune. "I'm sorry, it's not funny. I just…" It wasn't funny, but somehow, laughing felt better than the alternative. But I knew that I would have to face the reality of what had just happened. The Mother had stepped up her game. Maybe it was time for us to do the same.

"Thank you, Caroline." I said while making my way to Rebekah and hug her. I kissed her on the cheek and grabbed her hands. I squeezed them lightly. "Thank you, for trying. The truth will come out soon, I promise." "Will you at least tell us what happened?" Beks asked. "Baba Yaga, the Mother, Kybele, whatever you want to call her, she's stepping up her game. She tried to stop me. We need to get the others here. I had hoped that she would be too weak to attempt an attack, but unfortunately, her powers are growing stronger every day. At least mentally." I explained. I didn't get into detail about what exactly she had shown me.

 **New Orleans**

Elijah was glancing at his phone, worrying about his sisters. "Relax brother, I'm sure they're perfectly fine." Nik said as he sat down next to him at the bar. "Did you get the grimoire?" "Have a little faith, brother. I always get what I want." Cami put down a bourbon for Klaus. "Genevieve did mention something interesting about our little sister, though." Nik continued once Cami was out of earshot. "Ever heard of the Huntress?" "It does sound vaguely familiar." Klaus seemed a bit disappointed. "Celeste mentioned it to Genevieve. I'd hoped she may have told you about her more." "I understand why you would hope so. She'll tell us when she's ready. And I have a feeling it's going to be sooner rather than later." Elijah recalled her breakdown from before she left. "Evanna always did like to do things her way. But you're right. She knows a lot more than she's letting us know and it'll come out. And it's going to be big, brother."

"Speak of the devil." Nik said as he answered his phone. "Please, Lucifer got nothing on me." Nik smiled at his little sister's comment. "Did you get what we needed?" She asked. "Everything's in order." "Did Davina arrive?" Elijah asked. "Yeah, she's okay. We're having a bit of a sleepover. The whole Mystic Falls gang is here. Don't worry, Beks put them in the guest wing. I need you to get out here. Leave Marcel in charge, he was doing a fine job before you decided to meddle in this business." Nik looked at Elijah. "First you want me to stay here, helping me to keep my promise and now you need me to come to Mystic Falls?" Nik was confused. "Things have changed. I need you to get your things and to come here. Both of you. I'm scared, Nik." Eva didn't explain further and had ended the call. "What are we waiting for. Let's make some arrangements." Elijah said while putting some bills on the counter. If Eva was scared, then they should hurry. Nik didn't complain and followed his brother out the door.

 **Mystic Falls**

"You can't just call your whole team of Originals into my town." Damon complained after I put down the phone. "Actually, this was our town way before you were ever born." Rebekah threw back. "Who's this Baba Yaga or whatever?" Stefan inserted before Damon and Rebekah would lunge at each other. "An Ancient." "Because everyone knows what that means." Tyler said sarcastically. "For now, this answer will have to do. You'll wait until Nik and Elijah are here. Now if you excuse me, I'd like to get some sleep. I've had an exhausting day." I walked out, leaving everyone staring after me.

"She does know how to make a dramatic exit." Elena commented dryly. "Do you know what is going on, Rebekah?" Matt asked. "I do not. I barely understand half of it myself. But you won't get Eva to talk unless she wants to. And right now, she needs to rest." Rebekah walked over to Davina and told the young witch she'd show her to her room. Josh followed after them. "I don't get why Klaus and Elijah are so willing to depart from their town and leave it in the hands of Marcel. And how Eva managed to get Davina on her side is a mystery to me." "What do you mean?" Caroline asked. She had a feeling that Tyler knew a lot more than he was letting on. "Last time I was in New Orleans, the Mikealsons were waging war with Marcel and his faction. Apparently they are back on good terms. Davina was an extremely powerful witch, allied with Marcel. And now, all of a sudden, they are leaving town because some lunatic asked them to? It doesn't make any sense."

"You're leaving out the pregnant werewolf girl. In case you were interested, she's disappeared of the priority list of my siblings. Turned out she was lying about the lineage of the baby. Thank god Eva and I made a bet on that. And you're lucky Eva stopped Nik from going after the little wolf. She's safe for now, but after the baby's born, who knows what'll happen. Eva only protects the baby, the wolf, not so much." Kol commented. He knew what Tyler was hiding, he only didn't know that he was the actual father of the child. "Now I'm even more confused." Caroline said, looking from an angry Tyler to a smirking Kol. "It's nothing. Just something about an acquaintance." Tyler's tone implied that there would be no further conversation on this subject.

 **On the edge of town**

Markos knew that the cause of this storm was magical. And there was only one person who could be responsible for this. He smiled. Evanna. She had somehow managed to survive all those centuries. It also explained why he couldn't find the doppelgangers. Eva knew what he wanted and she would stop him at all costs. Once, he had been close, so close, but that witch had stopped him. He'd believed that he had bested her, he'd left her to die. He'd make a mistake not waiting for her to actually be dead, leaving Roxane to come sweeping in and put her back together. Together, they'd killed him. And now he was back. If Roxane wasn't with her, he could win. After all, he taught her everything she knew. This time, he'd made sure her heart stopped beating before leaving her to rot. He'd find them and finally take revenge on everyone who has ever wronged him.

 **Mikaelson Mansion**

I found myself being instructed by Kol on how to make pancakes and waffles at six am in the morning. I'd had a couple of hours of sleep, and while I didn't feel rested, I wasn't tired. After all, I didn't need much sleep to function. Bonnie appeared in the kitchen. She didn't look good. "Who died?" Kol asked. "A vampire." I handed her some water. "I'm sorry." Bonnie gave me a small smile. "I wish I could say I get used to it. But it's not that sort of pain." "I'm sure Eva will figure something out." Kol said reassuringly. "I might. Problem is, I'll need to get you back for that first. I do not want to risk the chance of losing you. And then there's Qetsiyah to take into account. I do not want to incur her wrath by dissolving the Other Side, though I doubt much can be done about this now. Bigger forces are in play." "Like this Baba Yaga?" Bonnie suggested. "Amongst others. But first, I'll take care of Markos. I'm going to need your help on that one. Pancakes or waffles?" I saw a confused look on Bonnie's face. "Pancakes. What can I do?" I bit my lip, trying to figure out to what extent I can trust her. "I'm going to bring Katherine and Nadia back. I'll need Markos for that, considering that he is a Petrov. I'll do a somewhat reversed version of one of your spells. I need you to prepare the room for that spell."

"You want to bring back Katherine Pierce and Nadia? Are you sure that's a good idea? Almost everyone wants her dead. Even your Originals." Bonnie asked in disbelief. "That's not entirely true. You may have forgotten, but when you and your friends were looking for a way to stop Silas, you came up with a plan to send Katherine and Caroline back in time, to stop Nik from ever finding out about the existence of the cure in the first place. Unfortunately, your spell misfired, or maybe it was meant to happen that way and Katherine and Caroline wound up in the time when the Originals were still human. Long story short, I did a spell to erase everyone's memory. The intention was for the memories to return when the time was right. Joke's on me, when only Kol got his memories back in time to stop you. Or to try, and it wound up getting him killed." "You should've just heeded your own advice." Kol said nonchalantly. After all, he'd only been passing on what had been told to him.

"Your spell backfired?" Bonnie asked, while trying to grasp what exactly what was going on. This was a lot of information. She remembered performing the spell, but it hadn't worked. But somehow it had. And Eva had covered it all up. Or it should've worked or something like that. This was confusing as hell. And if Evanna had been there in the past, what did that make her? She hadn't just grown up with the Mikaelsons, they had grown up with her as well. Was she related to them? It would somehow explain why she got a free pass. But she wasn't a vampire, maybe she was more like Esther? Bonnie noticed a small smile on the girl's lips. She looked like just a regular girl. But now that she looked at her and then at Kol, she noticed some similarities. There was also a hint of Rebekah in her. "You figured it out, haven't you?" Eva said.

Kol looked amused. He wondered whether Eva would trust the Bennett witch or he would just dismiss it. "How?" "I was pregnant, so Esther was kind enough to spare me from my family's fate. I'm sure you've heard the story. After the others fled, I stayed. I had a family. And I had my father. I kept him there, giving the others a chance to live their life without him. Don't get me wrong, I loved my father. But after what happened to Esther, it changed him for the worse. I tried, but then one day, I became what I am today. And we went our separate ways." Bonnie wondered what had happened to Evanna.

"How come you weren't around when everything went down?" The Bennett girl asked. Kol saw a slight change in Eva's expression. As he had believed, there was a lot more going on than she had told them. This was all connected. Roxane had hinted as much. "I was dead." "How come you died? Aren't you supposed to be immortal?" Eva shrugged. "Everything happens for a reason, Bonnie. That's what Ayana always said. I didn't always believe it, but after a thousand years, I learnt better. But to answer your question, it's quite simple and also extremely complicated. In one word, Destiny. In many words, well, that's a story for another time. One that will be told when my entire family is alive." It left Bonnie even more confused than in the beginning. She recalled what the witch had said last night, something about the Ancients. About Kybele. Kol caught her eye and he shook his head. Enough questions, for now.

"Since when do you know how to make pancakes and waffles?" Rebekah asked as she entered the kitchen. "Since I taught her." Kol answered. "Not bad for a first try, though Nik's were better." "Next time you can make breakfast yourself." I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee and grabbing some waffles. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" "Take care of Markos, bring Katerina and Nadia back, figure out how to bring Kol, Finn and Sage back, try to contact Qetsiyah and maybe give Roxane a call." It sounded like a good way of taking care of everything. "Who's Nadia?" Rebekah inquired. "Katherine's daughter turned vampire to find her mother. She's the one that taught me a lot about Travelers." "And how are you going to do that?" I smiled. "Markos. He's a Petrov, so with a little bit of creativity, one of Bonnie's spells will work." "Seems like you got it all figured out." Kol concluded.

*** My Immortal ***

I had. That's why, a couple of hours later, I found myself at the Grill. Stefan and Rebekah had accompanied me, but they were sitting in a booth in the corner. Stefan was there to draw out Markos, though I put a barrier around him so that Markos couldn't reach him. He'd have to go through me first. Matt was there as well, working. Elena was still at the house where Bonnie, with the assistance of Davina, was prepping the room for the ritual. I had tweaked it a little bit, making it possible for me to bring two people back with the killing of only one. Caroline had decided to visit her mother and inform her of the fact that the Originals were back in town. The Parker siblings had decided to stick around as well, waiting until Markos was taken care off. Tyler was nowhere to be seen, given the fact that my brother was on his way back.

"Hello, Evanna." I heard Markos from behind me. "Markos. I was wondering when you would show up." Seeing him now, after so many years took me back to the time when we had first met. He had been charming, kind and alluring. Markos had seemed mysterious and exhilarating. He'd shown me an entirely new realm of possibilities. It had been a whole new experience, but a very dangerous one as well. A treacherous path, a slippery slope which had led me to fall, hard. But I had somehow managed to get up again, promising myself to never let anyone affect me like he had. I guess I had just lost my balance. And the worst of all, hadn't been losing him, it had been losing myself. So, I swore to never lose control again, because if I ever did, it would be catastrophic. "Where is the other one?" "Not here." I said with a cheeky smile.

"You do not want to play games with me, Eva." Even after centuries, I could still read him. I knew he wasn't kidding. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes. I wouldn't give him what he wanted, so I opted for negotiation. Somewhat. "Fine. Then I'll get straight to the point. I won't let you do this." Markos smiled. "You can feel it, don't you? You've been resisting temptation, but you sense it." He was talking about the wild magic, the Expression Triangle. "In all honesty, it's giving me a bit of a headache." He chuckled at my reaction. "Oh, Eva, you know you want it. Don't you remember what it's like to have so much power at your disposal? Everything was possible. You and me, we could've had it all. This is a second chance. Just imagine all the things we could achieve. Together." I knew what he was doing, he was trying to lure me in with promises he wouldn't be able to keep. No power on earth could give me back my family. I shook my head and laughed it off. "Oh, Markos, you so don't get. A second chance? As if you ever meant those things you said to me, please. I've learnt my lesson when you struck me down and left me there to bleed. You betrayed me after everything I had done for you." I was getting worked up and from the looks of it, so was he.

Rebekah watched as the stranger approached her sister. "I assume that's Markos." Stefan said, following Rebekah's gaze. "I see why she fell for him. He's definitely her type, he has a bit of Killian in him." She tuned into the conversation, observing her sister carefully. It was clear that it had been serious and very dangerous. Bekah didn't like this Markos one bit. He was trouble, in the worst possible way. He was bad for Eva, bad in a way that he could push her over the edge. "They sure do have some history." Stefan commented dryly. He noticed the way Rebekah glared at the man. She may have never met him, but she hated him with every fibre of her being. The girl looked ready to pounce any moment.

Suddenly, Markos raised from his chair. "The things you have done for me? What about what I did for you. I showed you incredible things. A whole world that you couldn't even grasp. I unleashed your potential, guiding you, teaching you. I made you. Without me, you would be nothing but a stupid and naïve witch who had no idea what she was capable of. Without me, you wouldn't be standing here right now, trying and failing once again to stop me. I created you, I made you to the witch you are today. Powerful, relentless, lethal, vicious. And how did you repay me? You took away that which meant most to me. You and Roxane. But she's not here, is she? She abandoned you, just like everyone else. They leave you because you're the problem. It's all your fault. So, give me the doppelgangers and I'll show you mercy and give you a quick death. This time I will bother to wait around and hear the last beat of your heart." I rose from my chair as well.

"First of all, Roxane is still around, thank you very much. Secondly, you see that blonde over there with Stefan? That's my sister, Rebekah. She's an Original. Thirdly, you did not make me. You teared my down, you destroyed me to the point where I had to gather up the pieces once again because I let you in." I had moved closer to him while I had been talking, holding out my finger accusingly and with my last word, I'd poked him in the chest. Markos looked at me in amusement. This fuelled my anger even more, so without being able to stop myself, I continued.

"And finally, the witch I am today, I am despite of what you did to me. You left me broken, but I had the power to patch myself up. I am powerful, relentless, lethal, vicious. But not because of you. I was all of those things before you ever crossed my path. So don't you, for one moment, think that I would've been nothing without you. I am everything, Markos. I am the air you breath, the blood coursing through your veins, the water evaporating from your skin, the fire behind your rage, the earth beneath your feet. I am the shining sun, the bright stars. I am the reflection of the light of the sun, I am the moon. I am the whispers in the dark, I am the wildfire, the eternal flames. I am the whirlwind. I am a storm, a beautiful and raging hurricane. I am your darkest dream, your sweetest nightmare. I am your hopes, your dreams, your greatest fear. I am your demise, your impending doom. I. Am. Your. End." I felt the power coursing through my veins. Power I hadn't felt in such a long time.

There were whispers, promises, voices urging me to end it, here and now. They were tempting me to avenge myself. To stop him, to kill him. No destroy him, tear him limb from limb. Make him feel your pain, over and over again. Break him into a gazillion pieces. Break his bones, mend them, break them again. And do it all over again. A hundred times. And a thousand times over. Incinerate him, make him feel small. Pull him apart, rearrange him. Put him on the brink of death, without pushing him over the edge. I felt powerful, indestructible. His death wouldn't be enough. They all deserve to suffer. Another voice made its way through. Destroy the world. I could already see it. The end. It was breath-taking, it was amazing, it was terrible and yet so beautiful. So many colours, I was the artist and this was my canvas. Everything I wanted was possible. It was exhilarating. I had never felt more alive.

But then, another voice reached me. The small cry of a child. Scared and alone, screaming for her mother to save her from the monsters. But I was one of the monsters. I felt my control slipping, faltering. The power continued to build, readying itself to unleash destruction. I had to reign it in. But I didn't know how. I was scared. I was terrified. And it was tempting, so tempting to just let go. As I was about to give in, to lose myself completely, someone stopped me. _"Enough."_ A voice resounded in my head, overruling all else. The power ebbed away. I fell to my knees. My vision cleared. Markos looked at me in awe and disbelief. Then a smile graced his face.

Rebekah watched in horror as she saw her sister stand up to Markos. She felt the power seeping out of her younger sister. Eva was enveloped in a golden aura. She looked both beautiful and terrifying. She wasn't just Evanna anymore, she wasn't just a witch. She was The Huntress, the Wild One. Rebekah didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to help her. She stood up, but Kol stopped her. "Don't, not yet. You'll only hurt yourself. Let's pray to whatever greater power that is out there, that Eva can regain control, or someone forces her. If not, you'll have to kill her. And it will the most difficult thing you'll ever have to do."

Stefan watched the girl. He had never seen anything like it before. He felt power, raw and pure. It came from her, from Eva. He saw Rebekah hesitate, looking at Kol, waiting for him to tell her what to do. "Come on, Eva. You got this." Kol murmured, hoping that his sister could fight this. He saw her fall to her knees. Rebekah immediately rushed forward, looking at Markos with pure hatred. She lunged at him, not caring what would happen.

I saw Rebekah attack Markos. Kol was by my side. "Eva?" He asked. I pushed my switch as far back as possible without actually turning it off. I needed to focus on Markos which meant that I needed a clear head. "This was what he wanted." I whispered. Stefan offered me his hand. I let him pull me up. Rebekah was pushed back, but she got back up, lunging at him, fangs bared. Markos stopped her in mid-air. "Let her go." I said, while stepping between him and my sister. "Eva, back in control, I see. How sad." It didn't affect me. Long live my switch. "Enough." I cut through his magic with mine. "It was no even match anyway." Markos said.

I felt his magic coming my way, trapping me. I'd forgotten how powerful he was. But I was more powerful than he believed. I wasn't going to lose control, I was simply focused on one thing. Stop him. Get Katherine and Nadia back. And make him pay for what he did. That was the only thing I allowed myself to think about. That was the thing that I kept on, everything else was off. I was going to play a little bit, just like he had played me. "So, looks like you're stuck. Where is the other doppelganger, Eva?" He actually thought he had me trapped. The joke was on him. "Back home. Good luck trying to get in. I worked some of my best magic on that place." "How about I just kill your sister, then?" He could try. "Go ahead." I shrugged, not actually caring for the moment. Besides, she was an Original.

Rebekah looked at her sister. What was she doing? "She turned it almost off." Kol said, observing his youngest sister. "Why?" "Because if she didn't, she wouldn't be able to do what she has to. Eva has shut down her fear, her love, her pain. She's focused, determined. Right now, her goal is to get Katherine and Nadia back. And along the way, she'll probably make Markos suffer. There is no room for anything else." Stefan was looking from Rebekah and Kol to the witch. He had heard the word sister twice now. Did that mean that she was another Mikaelson? He could only wonder. It would explain their closeness and the reason why Klaus hadn't permanently killed her. Answers would hopefully come later. He sure as hell didn't want to wind up on the wrong side of Evanna. And if she was a Mikaelson, he'd be sure to pay for it.

Markos looked at Evanna. There was something different about her. His plan wasn't entirely working, it appeared. He had her trapped, but she wasn't budging. She even gave him free reign to kill her sister. Eva had mentioned something about an Original, but that was after his time. They were the first vampires, impossible to kill. Or so it was told. Every living thing has a weakness, so they must have one. But what was it? And what was Eva's plan? He had seen the look in her eyes, it was determined. Focused. He knew he had to proceed carefully. His gaze lingered on Evanna. She was still a sight to behold. Fierce, deadly, dangerous. The Huntress. It suddenly clicked. She was the Wild One, reborn. He had heard the stories, but he'd written them off as stupid folktales. But he'd felt, not just sensed, but physically felt the power, pure and unbound, seep out of her. He had not expected that.

Markos had always known she was one of the more powerful witches he'd encountered. There had been something about her that had pulled him in. He had played with her, indulged her and had tried to make her into something he could control, something he could use to his advantage. That had of course backfired. She was tempted by power, but she had refrained from actually attaining it. Just like what had happened right now. She'd just stopped, as if she were forced to her knees by an unseen force. What a shame, he would've loved to see her surrender herself to all that power. It would've consumed her and he would've been able to do what he had returned to do. Eva was still standing there, entrapped. But she didn't look that bothered. Markos added some extra magic to hold her there a little longer while he decided what to do.

Somewhere along the way, Markos began to realise he was going to lose. His plan had failed and Eva would kill him. After making him pay, of course. She had a thirst for blood, for vengeance. He had seen the look of sheer excitement in her eyes when she had killed him the first time. He remembered the way her eyes had lit up when she had started spilling his blood. Eva had once told him that she was a monster. An avenging angel, dancing on the graves of the damned. She was not a good person, having done unforgivable and terrible things. At first, Markos hadn't believed that someone who shined so bright could have so much darkness in her. He'd been drawn to her inner light, to her beacon, like a moth to a flame. But then there had been that glint in her eyes, that wickedness and it had driven him crazy. Even with all that wickedness in her, she had refused to bring down the world.

"I'm bored now." I said. I'd waited long enough. Time to go to phase two, where I would make him suffer by my own two hands. Not with magic, but physical injury. Make a bloody mess of his body. I broke through his trap and walked up to him. He looked at me in surprise, clearly not expecting me to get out that easily. What had he expected? "What are you doing?" "I'm being creative." I said with a smile, tearing down his defences. I reached out and took his head between my hands. "Hypnos." And just like that, Markos went to sleep.

"That's a bit anticlimactic." Kol said as he approached. "Don't worry, he'll go out with a bang." "You okay?" Beks asked. "I guess. Let's get going." "What did you do?" Stefan asked, observing Markos. "Sleeping spell." I said while Beks and I took hold of Markos and put him in the car. We drove back to the Mansion.

*** My Immortal ***

Caroline watched as Bonnie and Davina prepared the room. She had to say she was intrigued as to how and why the witch wanted to bring Katherine and Nadia back. Especially with Klaus on the way. Her thoughts went to the blissful hours she spent in the woods with him. He'd promised she'd never again had to look him in the eye. He would leave and never come back. Yet, he was coming back to Mystic Falls because Evanna had asked him to. Just like that. She wondered what their history was exactly. Why did he have to come back now? He'd promised her she'd never had to cover their connection with hostility again. Then again, he'd also made an earlier promise. He intended to be her last, however long it takes. If she were being honest with herself, she would have to admit that he would be her last. One day, she would've turned up at his doorstep and let him show her all the world has to offer.

Klaus was right, she hated herself for the truth. Because the truth was, it would be Klaus in the end. And it wasn't because of the amazing sex, though that definitely was a plus. It was much simpler, he chose her. Out of all the people in her life, Klaus was always the one who'd put her first. For once, she wasn't second to Elena. For some reason, the big bad hybrid had fallen for her, Caroline Forbes, neurotic, insecure, control freak. He got her, more than her friends ever had. Klaus knew that Caroline liked who she was now and that she wouldn't give it up. And Klaus wouldn't want her to. Sure, he had hurt her, both physically and mentally and she hadn't just forgiven him. But she meant it when she'd said that anybody capable of love, was capable of being saved. And she wanted to believe that underneath those thousand years there was still something human left. Klaus was on his way here, and she was going to see him again. Part of her was thrilled about that, but she had wanted more time. More time for herself, for her plans, for her last remains of a human life. Or maybe, she could just take a chance.

"I can't believe you're actually helping her, Bonnie." Elena complained. "She won't help you." Jeremy stood by his sister. "You don't know that." "You're trusting her? She just waltzes into our town, keeps us prisoner in this house, she's close to the Originals and yet, she dangles a possibility of freeing you from being the anchor and you throw in your lot with her? Do you even know what she's doing right now? And what she's going to do once she's back here? You're just blindly following her without even knowing what the outcome is." Elena continued. "I'm not some naïve girl who has no idea what I'm doing, Elena. Have a little faith. I've went along with you, so for once I'm asking you to trust me. This is big and I'm fully aware of what I'm doing." Bonnie had consulted her grandmother about Eva and she'd confirmed what the girl had told her. Her grandmother had also said that she should trust her. Something big was coming and it would do well to be on Evanna's good side. Apparently, Eva was an ally of the Bennett witches. Ayana had taught Eva the basics of witchcraft, an another Bennett, Roxane, was a close friend of Evanna. And Bonnie had decided to trust Sheila Bennett's judgement.

Davina watched as the friends argued about trusting Evanna. She wondered about her own reasons for siding with Eva. There was something about her, a reason why she immediately trusted the witch without knowing her that well. Maybe it was because she had kept the promises she'd made and that she had been honest with her. She'd also talked to Marcel about the witch. Marcel said that she was in good hands. Eva had always been protective of young witches or people that were wronged. He had warned her that Eva was a lot like Klaus, though. She was impulsive, ruthless, vicious. When crossed, she wouldn't hesitate to make people pay. She was a spitfire, unpredictable, fierce, strong. But she was also very loyal to the Mikaelsons and in extension, Marcel. He had told her that they had been friends, once. Marcel remembered her when he had grown up in the household of the Mikaelsons, before becoming a vampire. She was great with kids, she had spent time with him and had made an effort to get to know him. Then she'd left and next time he saw her, he was already a vampire. Davina had decided to trust Eva, mostly because she felt it in her bones that this was the right thing to do.

"Who exactly is she going to bring back?" Damon asked. "Katherine and Nadia." Elena's eyes widened, Damon looked at her in disbelief. "Klaus will kill her once he gets here." Caroline said, sounding genuinely concerned about the prospect of him killing Katherine. "He won't." Bonnie said, knowing that Evanna wouldn't let that happen. "How do you know that for sure?" Jeremy asked. "Because she's a Mikaelson. And if she were to ask Klaus not to kill them, he'd do so." "She's a Mikaelson? It makes no sense whatsoever. They never mentioned her." "Technically, I'm a Mikaelsdaughter since we didn't actually had last names back then." The witch in question said as she walked into the house with Markos on her shoulder.

"So, what now?" Kol inquired after we placed an unconscious Markos on the chair. "We make sure he stays put." I said, grabbing some chains that my brother had just lying around and infusing them with some magic to stop Markos from using his to escape. "That's Markos?" Davina asked, looking at his sleeping form. "He doesn't look very threatening now does he?" Damon commented. "Of course not, he's sleeping." "Did you knock him unconscious or something?" Liv wondered. "No, I used magic. He's in an enchanted sleep. I'll wake him up when it's time." God they were annoying. "What will you do to him?" Elena asked. "Kill him, eventually. Why, did you have other plans?" "No offense, but I don't trust you. For all we know, he is just another threat to the Original Family." It was solid reasoning, I guess, if you didn't count what I had told him. And even if they didn't trust me, they had Liv and Luke Parker who confirmed what I had told them.

"Why are you still here? Markos is being dealt with, you are free to leave." Rebekah asked, annoyed with the doppelganger. "You're planning on bringing Katherine and Nadia back. There is a reason why we killed them in the first place." "And there is a reason why I'm bringing them back. So, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get this thing started." Damon moved in front of me, blocking my path. "Move." I warned. "You'll have to kill me before I let you bring her back." With one thought, I willed him out of the room, blocking his path in. I did the same to Elena. No need for intrusions. "That's a nice trick." Kol commented. "Ready for my biggest trick yet?" I had never brought someone back from the dead, but I was pretty confident I could do this.

I looked at Markos while he sat in the chair. He looked so peaceful. Soon, he'd be screaming. Bonnie and Davina had prepared everything as I had instructed. "No one steps into the circle until I say so, okay?" I took a deep breath and opened the circle, calling the elements. I preferred doing magic within the confines of a circle to protect others from any rogue magic. Time to wake Markos up and have some fun with him. I woke him from his magically induced slumber. He seemed a bit disoriented. Markos noticed me and tried to break free, but he was chained. "One of the many wonders of this time is metal chains. They're very effective, I've found, especially once they have been treated with some magic." I said with a smile. "Why haven't you killed me?" Markos wondered.

"Because there are worse things than death. Besides, for now, I need you alive. You're going to help me bring back two people from your bloodline." There wasn't really any point in keeping the truth from him. "Some things are impossible, Evanna." "Funny you should say that, Markos. Didn't you once taught me that anything you can imagine is real? Magic has no limitations." I remembered the words as if he had said them yesterday. "Not while the curse still lies upon my people. It is only after the curse is lifted that anything is truly possible." "I guess I will prove you wrong then. Brace yourself, for this will hurt."

"I'm not sure I want to see this." Josh commented, seeing the wicked smile Eva gave Markos. "Why is she so intent on hurting him?" "Because he hurt her. And she's pissed off, angry and well, practically humanity-less." Kol answered Davina's question. "She turned it off?" Bonnie asked in disbelief. "Not entirely. She can still feel, but she shut off most emotions. Eva's focused on the task at hand, only feeling the emotions that will get her the desired results." Kol explained, knowing Eva well enough that as soon as it was finished, she'd eventually break down. It had been a very trying time today, she'd almost lost control over her magic. That would most definitely have ramifications. He could only hope that by then, Elijah and Nik were back. And maybe even Finn. It would take them all to get her out of her state of mind. Eva hadn't come back entirely unscratched. Roxane had told him that if they were ever going to meet again, Evanna would be different. Something had changed within his sister.

"Will she be okay?" Stefan wondered. "I hope so." Rebekah said, looking at her sister. Sometimes, it was easy to forget that her sister had this side to her. But she could be wicked, cruel and vengeful. She was the daughter of Mikael after all. Eva had so much power, so much anger in her and she needed an outlet. And sometimes, that would result in Eva taking it out on other people, people that had wronged her, or her family. If Rebekah had to be honest, she didn't feel sorry for Markos at all. He had brought this upon himself. Nobody crosses a child of Esther. They were not known for being the kind that easily forgave. Rebekah smiled when she saw Markos look at her sister in fear. It was about time Markos realised that Eva wasn't someone he could push around. "Remind me to never cross her." Stefan said from beside her. "She takes after Nik when it comes to her cruelty." Kol replied. Even though the entire Mikaelson clan, save for Finn, were known to be cruel and harsh in their judgements, Nik and Eva had an extra vicious streak around them.

"You know, Markos, you should've just stayed dead." I said, looking at Markos. "And miss our happy reunion?" I sat down on his lap, my face inches away from his. "Is this what it is?" "You know you want to, Eva. Just admit it you still love me." I didn't feel anything for him but hatred. "And here I thought it was hate that I was feeling." "Love, hate. It's a fine line." Markos whispered. "You're right. It is a fine line. And the hatred that I feel for you could only have developed out of the love I once felt for you. But guess what, it's gone." "And yet, here we are." Markos said, his face moving closer to mine. I felt his breath on my skin. "Here we are. You chained to a chair and I who has all the power." I didn't move away from him. "Humour me, Eva. Since these are probably my last moments before you send me into oblivion, be honest with me. Why didn't you give in?" I understood where his questions came from. After all, I had let him in at some point and had told him things about myself.

"There are forces even beyond my control, Markos. And today, they happened to have intervened. If they hadn't, I'm pretty sure none of us would be here right now." Markos looked at Evanna and wondered whether she was speaking the truth. He had heard the tales about the Huntress, about the powers she supposedly possessed. Maybe she would've destroyed the world. Maybe she could've done so. And maybe, some higher power had intervened. "And why not so many centuries ago?" "Self-preservation." The witch said without much hesitation. Even after everything he had shown her, she had still refused. He was starting to understand her reasoning, but mostly, she was still a mystery to him. He still couldn't figure her out. "Time's up. Time to bring some people back from the dead."


End file.
